Upside Down
by Creidhe
Summary: A certain pink-haired medic-nin finds herself stuck in an alternate reality where the bad are good, the good are bad and Naruto is the one after the Kyuubi. The world is sinking into the depths of darkness… until she arrives as new form of hope.
1. Prologue

Summary: A certain pink-haired medic-nin finds herself stuck in another dimension where the bad are good, the good are bad and Naruto is the one after the Kyuubi. The world is sinking into the depths of darkness… until she arrives as new form of hope.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Naruto.

*AU*

*Sakura & Itachi*

Author Note: Yep, yet another story. I just can't seem to stop. Anyway a small warning though, this story is going to deal with some very dark and mature topics, hence the T rating (it might even change in future chappies)

**[EDIT] Something freaky happened while my screen froze and the story was deleted O.o**

**Anyway, I just wanted to thank those who reviewed 3 since it seems I'm unable to reply now. **

* * *

PROLOGUE

* * *

Rain.

Why did it always rain at times like these? Were the skies really crying?

Strong and ice cold wind whistled and blew angry words into the dark raining night. Lightning lit up the sky as several thunders roared up above, showing for brief instants one garden of corpses stretched on for miles, a sea of lifeless eyes.

A lone figure stood among the dead looking up at the dark sky. The heavy rain matted her pink hair to her skull and soaked her clothes through. Her usual bright and energetic green eyes were red from crying and her face tearstained. The pouring rain and the roars from above hushed her loud sobs as if they too were crying, mourning at the same time.

Sakura lowered her head and glanced at the body in front of her. Tears fell more freely and this time neither the crying skies nor the wind could muffle her agonizing, heartbreaking and soul scattering scream.

She fell to her knees on the muddy bloodied soil, her hands grasped bits of dirt and her fingernails cracked at the brute strength. She shook her head as she tried to call out his name in vain. Her throat felt bone-dry, unused. It burned at every breath she took and the little air she could drain pierced her lungs like one thousand of knives.

She shivered as she stared at the body lying on the ground in front of her, red liquid spilling from his wounds. Naruto, her best-friend, the number one hyperactive ninja… he was supposed to live… he promised that he would not die, that he would never leave her alone.

"Please….," she cried, running her hand lovingly through his messy blond hair, "come b-back to me… d-d-don't… leave…me…..not now…" the tears began to blur her vision as she bent over top of him, hugging him close to her, feeling his cold skin. She sobbed his name over and over as she buried her face in his bloodied chest, "P-Please… you p-promised."

An excruciating pain took place in her left side but she endured it, ignoring the fact that she was losing a large quantity of blood that could be deadly if it was not quickly taken care of. It didn't matter anymore. What was the point in carrying on all alone?

He was dead.

Everyone was dead.

No one saw it coming. It happened out of the blue, on a normal day. The enemy… dark cloaks with ridiculous red clouds. In one single day, Sakura world was turned upside down when the Akatsuki finally made their move.

"Why?!?!" Sakura parted from his limp body and gazed at the sky, waiting, "Huh? WHY? WHY US?" she screamed from the top of her lungs, "WHY DAMMIT!" Over and over again she screamed, coughing and crying. Then she stood still with no more tears left to cry, simply listening as the rain started to slow down.

She swallowed dry and lied down next to his lifeless corpse, stretched her arms and pulled him close to her.

"We'll see each other again really soon," she whispered softly.

Planting a light kiss on his purplish cold lips, she finally closed her eyes as darkness finally claimed her senses.

Little did she know that the next time she encountered her dear ones would be in a battlefield.

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A/N: Seriously, I know it's short but that's a prologue for you. **Remember to share the love by reviewing...from here on out, the chapters will get longer and interesting!!(Promise!) **

**A big bear hug,**

**Creidhe.**


	2. Something's Not Right

**Upside Down**

Something's not right.

* * *

She felt dreadful. Her feet were throbbing; her head felt like it was wrapped in a plastic bag; she ached all over and to make everything worse there were the god damned whispering voices that stubbornly refused to cease.

_Wait a minute__… __whispering voices? Wha__…__ what? How?_

Sakura gasped, lurching forward and coughing as her lungs claimed for fresh air. Slowly, she opened her eyes and stared into darkness. Her heart beat was strong against her chest which proved that she was very much alive. Her emerald orbs stared down at her red silky-smooth sheets in confusion.

She was dying, she remembered that much. Out of chakra, she had no means to heal her fatal wound and the mere possibility that someone had saved her was preposterous. Blinking, Sakura suppressed a shudder as she listened to approaching heavy footsteps.

Abruptly, light surrounded her.

Stunned, she simply stared at the blinding light for a time and then blinked once, pulled her eyes into focus, and looked up. A woman stood above her, tall and angry. The awful pressure flooded in upon her then, a roaring inside her ears and something invisible pushing against her head.

Squeezing her eyes shut, the pink-haired girl did something which felt like thrusting back against the pressure, until it receded. When she opened her eyes again she found herself staring into familiar honey eyes. Her dry lips parted and a loud broken sob came out without warning.

Forcing her lips shut and listening to the little wise voice inside her mind, Sakura quickly realized that something about this entire thing was just not right. Her heart started to race at an erratic pace and she struggled to maintain her breathing evenly.

It couldn't be. She had seen it with her own eyes as her mentor fell in order to protect her and Naruto. Tears prickled her eyes as she stared at the blonde-haired figure standing over her, with the half-worried, half-exasperated expression that she often wore when scolding Sakura. "What were you thinking?!"

Sakura felt the tears run down her face and made no attempt to wipe them away. Had everything been just a horrible nightmare? "T-Tsunade-sama…" she whispered, dreading the sound of her own voice, "Naruto… is he a-alright?"

Tsunade shot a furious glare in Sakura's direction, "He will be."

The younger medic-nin nodded hesitantly as her brain processed the new found information. Millions of thoughts screamed inside her head, aggravating her headache. So it had only been a nightmare. Then again, she wasn't entirely satisfied with the older woman answer.

Tsunade arched an elegant eyebrow and then scoffed in exasperation, "Not only you completely failed your mission as you compromised our location," an intense expression of insatisfaction spread through her features and her eyes flashed immense hatred towards the pink-haired medic-nin, "If he had not interjected, I would have let you rot and watch the vultures take you for dinner."

A sick smirk decorated the blonde-haired Sannin's features as Sakura's eyes widened in a mixture of fright and shock, "I seriously hope he overcomes this silly crush he has on you so I can personally send you to hell," Tsunade eyes glowed with amusement, "You can imagine, ne? How painful it is to heal one you wish to see dead."

Sakura worked frenetically to calm her breaths as her brain repeated Tsunade words over and over again like a broken record. She couldn't quite break her astonished gaze from Tsunade uncharacteristic smirk.

A cold sensation claimed her entire body as nothing seemed to make the minimum sense. The woman in front of her… was certainly not Tsunade-sama.

"I… I don't understand," Sakura finally said cautiously, her gaze stealthily slipping across the strange rich decorated room.

The room was highly decorated with antique furniture. A tall majestic armoire stood elegantly next to the bed. There was a small desk in the left furthest corner. It was highly organized but what caught her attention was a beautiful silver frame with a picture. It took all she had not to choke at the sight of herself hugging a tall handsome dark-haired man.

Blinking in shock, her mind spinning frenetically and her heart hammering just as hard, Sakura quickly shifted her gaze back to Tsunade and was surprised to see that the blonde-haired was noticeably close.

"Scared Sakura-chan?"

This couldn't be possible. Tsunade-sama would never, ever call her Sakura-chan.

Memories haunted her at once. Painful screams, livid and frightening images of her dear ones dying reminded her that it couldn't simple be a nightmare, because nightmares never felt so real. And whoever was standing in front of her… was without a doubt not Tsunade-sama.

"Who are you?" Sakura asked, fighting to control her weak timbre voice.

The question caught Tsunade off guard. The blonde-haired quickly backed away and straightened herself. Her honey eyes sparkled with suspicious as she inspected the pink-haired girl.

Sakura felt naked under the strange woman scrutinizing look. Not flinching or shrinking away she was able to maintain her panicking gaze steady.

"Funny," Tsunade said at last, "You look different."

Clenching her hands around the red sheets Sakura arched one brow and quickly pulled a disdain expression on her face, "How so?" she asked, ignoring her turmoil of thoughts as she launched herself towards a great opportunity to get something out of the blonde-haired woman who was trying to impersonate Tsunade-sama.

"The way you looked at me just now… it was very unlike you," said Tsunade, narrowing her eyes, "almost as if-"

"Sakura."

Both women were startled at the arrival of a deep male voice. Sakura bloodstream completely stopped as she stared at the voice source. Her jaw dropped as she stared at the dark-haired man behind Tsunade. By the looks of it, she was the only one shocked to see him of all people standing at the room's door. Not only was he supposed to be dead as he also appeared to know her.

Her heart stopped altogether when she finally realized that he was the man in that foreign picture.

"Itachi-san," Tsunade hostile voice as well as her expression vanished at once, "came to see our dear injured kunoichi, have you?"

Sakura's entire body started to tremble and her vision began to fail her. She remained sitting in the bed staring at the blurry figures. She couldn't think anymore. Her brain refused to work as if it was preventing her from a mental breakdown.

Those people were dead. She was fucking sure about it… those people and maybe even herself were supposed to be dead.

A small memory piece of her fight with the blue-skinned Akatsuki came to her as a new light. Quickly and ignoring the others curious looks, Sakura pushed the sheets away, lifted her large white t-shirt and ran her hand at her left side. Gasping, she found herself touching a large scar.

"Yes, quite a nasty cut you got there," Tsunade voice reached Sakura ears like poison, "and quite ugly, too bad I couldn't get rid of it. That bastard sword is just not any sword."

"Enough. Leave us," Tsunade turned around and grinned widely. Itachi stepped aside, his tanned features remained blank as she walked past him.

Sakura did not even notice that Tsunade left the room. She was beyond shocked to react anymore. The fact that she had the scar from the nasty injury she received from the Akatsuki member meant that she was indeed alive and that she was not actually having some kind of nightmare.

Uchiha Itachi raised an amused eyebrow as he stared at her trembling form. Her hands caressed the scar over and over again. He shook his head as he quietly closed the door. Women, always fret over their image. Snorting at his own thought, he turned around and in mere seconds he was at her side.

"Come now, Sakura," he breathed in a husky voice and leaned closer.

The pink-haired girl felt the hair of the back of her neck rise as a warmth breath caressed her skin. Startled, she shrieked and quickly shifted away from him. As panic quickly took over her rational being, Sakura hand instinctively moved behind searching for anything she could find… a red pillow.

"It is just a scar." Itachi frowned when she backed away from him, her bright green eyes wide with agitation.

Before she could even say a word in response, his arm was around her, pulling her to him, his lips so demanding on hers. Forcibly, he shoved his hot tongue in her mouth while one of his hands quickly moved onto her left side, his cold fingers touching her large scar.

A spark of pure electricity jolted down her back and her stomach complained weirdly as she unconsciously arched her back. Feeling his lips touch the nape of her neck, she started to breathe faster as her world started to spin.

Itachi's hands moved further up her rib-cage, bringing her flesh alive with his touch. He then reached beneath his white t-shirt that she always wore to sleep. His hands covered her creamy, unsupported breasts, taking like nothing else before.

Sakura gasped loudly when he molded her breasts with his ice cold hands. Her eyes swiftly widened in disgust at her reaction. Feeling somewhat dirty and moved by an invisible force, she jerked herself away from his grip and watched in trepidation as her hand met his surprised features.

Slap.

Itachi blinked once and his deep dark eyes were no more. Two crimson orbs pierced the pink-haired girl soul. Sakura gulped quietly as she adjusted herself in the bed. Slowly, she came to her knees and then finally got up.

She needed answers and needed them fast.

"Fine," said Itachi with an indifferent tone of voice. The proud Uchiha straightened himself, walked towards the door and stopped before he opened it, "Do not expect me to come tonight."

If he was waiting for some kind of reply, he did not receive one.

The door was closed with a loud bang.

Sakura fell to her knees onto the bed, covered her face with her hands and sobbed.

What the hell was happening to her?

Feeling the remaining strengths abandoning her, she lied back down and curled into a ball.

She whimpered, sniffed and dozed even as the tears fell.

* * *

She was still asleep.

Itachi shook his head. They needed to be off.

He had heard her whimpering and crying in the night. She had not made any attempt to go find him either. It was all very odd, he concluded as he stared at her sleeping form. Normally, Sakura couldn't spend hours away from him without becoming grumpy and moody. Yesterday not only she had rejected him as she did not bother to seek him either.

Sighing inwardly he simply called out her name, "Sakura,"

"Ugh… not now Naruto."

Itachi arched a suspicious eyebrow as he stared down at her pale features. She looked somewhat upset and her lips formed a subtle pout.

"Sakura…" he called out again, this time louder.

The pink-haired girl slowly opened her eyes, her gaze hesitantly met his.

_So it wasn__'__t a dream._

Sakura raised her head and quickly sat up. Right, she wasn't considered one of the brightest kunoichi for nothing. Her brain immediately started to work at the speed of light.

First, it looked like she was surrounded by strange people that somehow resembled Tsunade and Itachi. Secondly, it also appeared that they were clearly mistaking her for someone else as they seemed to be expecting different reactions from her. Now all she had to do was to play along in order to get some useful information on what was really happening to her.

Swallowing dry and pushing her yesterday memories away, she briefly closed her eyes.

"What do you want?" she muttered, sighing heavily as she ignored her strong heartbeat.

"Everyone is waiting," Itachi said, his strong deep voice sounded oddly faint, "we have received information that a group of mist nin escaped and is trying to reach the rain country borders."

Sakura twisted her nose at the strange piece of information, "H-hai," she hesitantly conceded, tossing the red sheets away revealing her naked legs.

Seemingly satisfied, Itachi turned around, "Meet me in the great hall."

"Sure," Sakura absent-mindedly complied as she faced the enormous armoire. As soon as she could no longer hear his footsteps in the hallway, a loud relieving sigh escaped her lips.

Hands shaking, she yanked the armoire doors open and gaped at the offensive clothing. Heaven's sake she was a kunoichi not some… some… _slut_.

Biting her lip, the pink-haired girl reached for the only pair of dark pants, ignoring the revealing shirts, dresses and skirts. Groaning in irritation she decided to comb her messy hair, put the pants on and she was good to go.

After she decided that she was half decent, she finally reached the door and only then she realized that she had no absolute idea where this great hall was supposed to be.

Ignoring her brain protests, she stepped outside taking a careful look at her surroundings. The hallway seemed like a never ending path. Thousands of closed doors piqued her curious nature. Sakura finally came to a stop and stared at the beautiful marble staircase. She stayed there listening to her own erratic heartbeat. Just where the hell was she?

"Oh, hello Sakura-chan."

Sakura quickly turned around surprised to see yet another familiar face.

"H-Hinata?"

The Hyuuga girl arched an eyebrow in disdain as she contemplated the pink-haired girl.

Sakura suddenly felt highly uncomfortable when Hinata stared at her clothes. Perhaps, she shouldn't have worn the white t-shirt. The sweet Hinata that she knew, couldn't possibly wear a sneer expression in her face, whoever was impersonating her dead friends was doing an awful job. More importantly... Sakura was not going to let them get away with it. For now, she would play this silly ridiculous game.

"So you didn't die," Hinata hissed strictly, walking past Sakura towards the stairs, "Pity."

Sakura eyes widened.

Could it be that she was in hell and this was her punishment?

"Hn," Sakura raised her chin, recovered from the initial shock, "It takes more than a simple sword wound to kill me."

Hinata stopped and snorted. Looking over her shoulder, she smirked wickedly, "I will try to remember that."

A cold sensation penetrated her spine as she stared at the brunette retreating back. Kami… did Hinata just threat her? Gulping, she found her legs moving after Hinata. Perhaps the Hyuuga was heading toward the great hall as well. Sakura was impressed with the rich decoration. She was now walking in a red carpet, her eyes set on the tall golden doors. She could hear loud voices… it seemed as if someone was having an argument.

Hinata walked through the doors first and she followed right after. The voices immediately perished.

If Sakura was frightened, nervous and confused, she was now completely lost and desperate as she stared at the familiar crowd.

"Ah… Sakura-chan, I am glad that you made it."

The pink-haired medic-nin turned her head to the right side, her emerald orbs widened as she stared directly into Naruto deep blue eyes.

"Naruto." She murmured still in shock, trying to suppress the horrible images of his death.

The whole room gasped and before Sakura could even wonder why, she felt her face grow hot as Naruto large hand collided with her right cheek.

"How many times must I repeat myself? You are to call me master."

_Kami__…__ where the hell am I?_

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A/N: A fast update!! Thank you all so much for the reviews on the prologue. I hope this first chapter was good enough to pique your curiosity. So how did you all like the character changes?

Reviews make me really happy.

Thanks for reading,

Creidhe.


	3. Not Everything is Lost

**Upside Down**

**Not everything is lost.**

* * *

Sakura right hand caressed her cheek, her lips were parted and she wore a shocked expression on her face.

_Breath. Breath. In then out. Breath. In and out. Just breath._

The whole thing seemed so surreal that got her to wonder if she was finally going insane. Had Naruto just slapped her?

Taking a quick mental photograph of her surroundings, Sakura saw Kakashi-sensei leaning against a wall, arms crossed around his chest, looking utterly bored.

Next to the silver-haired jounin was Shikamaru. His usual lazy aura was replaced by a jeering air. His lips curved slightly into a scary smirk. Not too far away from him were Kurenai and Hinata. The two of them were staring at Sakura while whispering at each other.

Clenching her hands into fists, Sakura realized that she was clearly in minority. Swallowing her pride, she raised her head and locked her gaze with this strange, frightening Naruto.

"I'm sorry."

The blond-haired boy sighed and nodded shortly, "I'm sorry I hit you Sakura-chan," Sakura tried not to wince at the way he pronounced her name. For some reason, it felt extremely wrong to hear it from this person who was not the Naruto she knew, "I have been worried about you. To think that you could have died…"

Sakura hesitantly nodded. She didn't know what else to say. Her brain was seriously damaged at this point. It flashed angrily like a thunderstorm, urging her to beat the blond-haired man to a pulp. No one touched her and got to live to tell the story. The fact that she was in dangerous territory and could not lift a single finger was highly distressing.

"But you are okay and that is all that matters." Naruto grinned and Sakura eyes widened slightly when she noticed that unlike all the others, there was something off about Naruto. Something seemed to be missing…

Gasping slightly, Sakura finally realized what. Naruto whiskers were gone. Seriously, if they were impersonating her dear ones at least they should have done it right.

"Master!" a loud unexpected voice echoed through the entire great hall. Slowly turning around, Sakura was most shocked to see the third Hokage walking with a grave expression adorning his wrinkled features, "Master! It is terrible! The prisoner has escaped."

A heavy tension filled the air of the great hall. Sakura watched as Naruto ran a slightly shaking hand through his messy blond-hair. With a heavy sigh, Naruto turned around to face the others, "Find and kill him."

By the looks on their faces, Sakura immediately determined that this missing prisoner had to be someone that they knew. Their hesitation said it all.

"Now." Naruto voice was incredible low and so highly menacing that made the pink-haired girl cringe. All the others nodded shortly and quickly scrambled away.

Sakura slowly turned around and took this opportunity to scout the area. She was not going to look for this prisoner or whatsoever. All that she wanted was to find a way out of that nightmare and fast. Sighing inwardly, she found herself in another painful long hallway, only that this one looked different. There were no other doors apart from a tall glorious wooden door at the end of the hallway. Biting her lip and peeking over her shoulder, she was glad to find that no one seemed to be around.

She stared at the door knob for some seconds, the curiosity taking the best of her. Her heartbeat was strong against her chest as her fingertips touched the cold knob. Gulping, she turned the knob to the left and almost squealed in delight when the door gave in. Opening it wide, Sakura was agape as she took in the outstanding room.

The walls were decorated with bookshelves that almost reached the ceiling. The room appeared to be an odd mixture of a library and an office. Closing the door, Sakura quietly walked to the center of the room where an enormous dark desk stood. It was a very well organized desk. Who ever worked there seemed to be obsessed with cleaning and organizing. Walking around the desk, Sakura sat down on the blue cushioned chair. She sighed once again as her fingers touched her still stinging cheek.

Naruto… her Naruto… it could not be him. Her Naruto would never act like that, nor Tsunade-sama and definitely not Hinata.

Her bright green orbs darted toward the desk, spotting a red journal. A cold shiver ran up and down her spine as she reached for it. Her trembling hand opened the journal at a random page. A shocking sound escaped her lips as she read the title.

**15****th**** October**

**Captured Sasuke.**

_This is one of the happiest days of my life. I finally did it._

_I must confess that I did not expect such a tough fight. He seems to have trained hard in order to last more than five minutes in battle. No matter. I finally captured him, listening to Sakura__'__s annoying pleading to keep him alive._

_Either way, I sent him to the torturing chambers. I trust Ibiki and Anko to get all the necessary information out of that Uchiha trash. I hope that we get something good enough to crush the Rain country. I have waited far too long to what__'__s rightful mine. _

Sakura dropped the journal on the desk and stared at it as if it contained a deadly illness. The words were carved in her mind; her brain was spinning at the speed of light trying to decipher what she had just read.

"Sasuke-kun…" she whispered as her heartbeat pounded in her ears like one thousand of loud drums playing in the distance.

Returning her troubled gaze at the journal, Sakura hesitantly turned the page.

**24 October**

**Grass country falls.**

_Grass country has been taken over. My troops have burned the village down to ashes, sparing the women and the children. Some of the surviving men were exiled or even turned into slaves. _

_Sakura and Itachi were in charge of the operation. It seems that that good-for-nothing girl has finally found someone to make up for her lack of talent as a kunoichi. _

_Still no sign of the eight-tailed beast. No worries though. Hinata and Shino have successfully targeted the four-tailed beast. _

_Soon__…__ my plan will be completed. Water and Rain country still are a problem and for that I must have them out of my way._

What the hell? Was Naruto ordering… all of this? Who were these people? Dear Kami… she was more than certain that she was not in charge of such operation. Her lower lip started to quiver. All of this was really starting to stress, fright her.

This whole new reality was too much for her to put up with. Eyes widening, her brain nudged at the previous trail of thought.

A new reality? Was it even possible? Sure, she had read all those fantasy books and even heard Konoha weird scientists mention that they were working on a way to penetrate through time holes and dimensions. Of course, she always considered it to be complete gibberish. But now? She was not so sure anymore.

At this point, she was accepting any crazy senseless suggestion.

**11****th**** November**

**Sasuke cracks.**

_I seriously didn__'__t expect him to endure Ikibi and Anko__'__s torturing for this long. I was starting to lose my patience._

_The Uchiha trash has finally cracked down. He told us about the secret meeting between Water and Rain country. An alliance will not make things easier for my plans and as a potential threat I need to eliminate it right away._

_I am going to convoke my most trustful followers and lead this operation myself. As someone once said __"__If you want to get things done properly, do it yourself.__"_

**28****th**** November**

**Sakura is fatally wounded.**

_The water country fell. It was so easy. I was like watching ants drowning in small droplets of rain. I enjoyed watching as every single one of them fell dead, their blood flowing like a river, celebrating my arrival. At that time everything seemed to go perfectly, until they came into view. The ones that entitle themselves as the Akatsuki. _

_It was a tough battle and it is with much regret that not a single one of them died. On the other hand, they injured several of our own. No one that mattered anyway. _

_Only Sakura mattered._

_Hoshigaki Kisame and Sakura engaged in a fight. What was she thinking? How could she actually face an experience fighter and expect to live to tell the tale? What if I hadn__'__t been there? Did she actually think that the others would risk their neck for an incompetent like her?_

_If I did not need her for the last part of my plan, I would gladly pick Hoshigaki__'__s sword up and cut her head off myself._

Sakura felt dizzy and wondered if her heart was still beating. Her eyes were set upon the last two lines; those written words were like venom that consumed her core at the mere thought that Naruto wanted her dead.

_But this is not Naruto__…__ not my Naruto,_ thought Sakura as she dropped the red journal and leaned back on the cushioned chair. Her eyes started to water up at the confusing mess inside her head. She didn't know what to make of what she had just read. Why on Kami's good name were they attacking all the other countries… just the thought of knowing that this Naruto had ordered to slave the surviving men… still what troubled her most was this thing he was looking for. And why was Naruto searching for all the others tailed beasts?

So many questions and there was no one to answer them. With a resigned sigh, Sakura stood up and prepared herself to leave. As she did so, she clumsily let something heavy fall onto the floor. Gasping and turning around quite startled with the loud noise, Sakura stared at the broken frame, more specifically at the picture.

Air threatened to fail her as she stood there staring at the picture for what seemed to be like an eternity. She recognized herself, a twelve-year old Sakura looking oddly serious. Her gaze moved to the left and she was surprised to see a dark-haired boy smile at the camera. Since when did Sasuke smile? Her green eyes gazed at Naruto. He looked rather bored as if he had been forced to stand by Sakura's and Sasuke's side.

Her bright green eyes gazed back toward the young Uchiha. A warm sensation spread through her entire body as she focused her gaze on his wide smile. It was a handsome smile, she concluded as she picked the picture up.

"I think I'm going to keep this," the young medic-nin whispered to herself as she cut this other Sakura and Naruto out of the picture.

Sighing and turning around to leave, she was suddenly petrified when she heard alarming echoing voices from the hallway.

Her legs trembled and her knees threatened to fail her, inhaling for air to calm down her panic state, she quickly spun around trying to see a hiding spot. There was absolutely nowhere she could possible hide. Sakura cursed her bad luck. The voices sounded louder and dangerously close.

Running a trembling hand through her pink hair, she stared at the door in fright anticipation. She needed to get out of there and fast.

As her brain tried to find a way of escape, her heart came to a sudden stop when the door was unexpectedly wrenched open. Gasping in surprise, Sakura stood there like a statue, her wide green orbs staring straight into crimson ones.

She took in every detail of his condition. He was tall, definitely taller than her. His shirt looked like it had been white once. It was now dirty and grayish. His dark-hair was longer and it reached his shoulders. His pants were ragged and his feet were naked… and filthy too.

"Sasuke-kun…"

"You!"

Sakura found herself stepping backwards at his burning intense glare. Only now she realized how badly he looked. His left eye was swollen and completely black. There were several cuts across his face that clearly needed to be attended to. He also looked so skinny as if he hadn't eaten for weeks.

Eyes widening, she finally understood.

Sasuke was the missing prisoner.

The dark-haired boy looked nothing like the Sasuke she knew. His crimson eyes were filled with hesitation and terror. His chest was heaving rapidly as if he had just run for miles. His intense piercing look softened slightly after a few seconds, only to be replaced with a suspicious hardening expression.

"Who are you?"

Sakura blinked slightly aghast with his question. Sasuke stepped forward and arched a demanding eyebrow as his gaze held Sakura's steady.

"W-what?" Sakura asked quietly, as she tried to hide the small pieces of the photograph with her feet.

"You are not Sakura," Sasuke said ever so subtly. His red eyes glowed with more intensity as he approached the pink-haired girl. He eyed her more intently, his sharingan spinning slowly. This woman sure looked like his childhood friend. They both appeared to have the same weight, height, same hair and eye color. But there was something that this woman was lacking.

Where was the constant sneer on her lips or the mocking glittering in her green eyes? This pink-haired woman looked completely pure. There was no dark aura around her like there used to be in the Sakura he knew.

Swallowing dry, Sakura stepped forward and raised her chin, "I am Sakura," she answered, proud that her voice had come out intact, "just not the Sakura everyone seems to know."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her answer. He had no time to guess riddles.

"He went to the master's room!" a loud voice called out from behind the closed door.

Both Sakura and Sasuke eyed the door as though they were facing the gates of hell.

"Oh no," Sakura whispered as burning sensation claimed her throat.

Sasuke turned to look at the strange pink-haired girl and tried to ignore the fact that she looked so alike with the Sakura he knew.

"Do they know about it?" he asked demandingly, casting his red eyes on her.

Sakura shook her head as she walked toward the door, "No, they don't know about it." She looked over her shoulder and gave him a small smile, "Don't worry; I'm getting us out of here."

Sasuke expression remained blank as she approached the door.

The pink-haired girl could feel her heartbeat in every part of her body. Her legs seemed oddly heavy with every step she took toward the door. She needed to do it. She couldn't stay in a place like this. Not in a place where her Naruto didn't exist.

Clenching her right hand into a fist, Sakura gritted her teeth together. The shocking memory of Naruto slapping her came to her head as she crouched down and punched the floor with all of her strengths.

There were angry and surprised screams from the other side as soon as part of the room crumbled apart blocking their entrance.

Sasuke eyes widened as he contemplated this Sakura. Yes, he was certain that this Sakura was a completely _different_ person.

Sakura turned around to face the dark-haired boy. He looked over at her, and she offered him a soft, vulnerable smile.

"We don't have much time," said Sakura with a calculating look on her pale features as she stared around the room.

The Uchiha didn't even know what to say or what to think. Was this a trap? Just for now he was going to play along.

"Uhm…North… would lead us to the…" Sakura pointed her index finger at random directions as she thought things over. Sasuke remained in his spot still staring at her, "… alright, I got it!" she added excitedly as she turned to the east side, "Do you have any chakra left?"

"Yes."

"Good."

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows as she stared at the other wall. There were already some fractures from her previous brute strength. Concentrating her chakra and feeling it flow within her; she advanced with full force and ruined the wall down.

Sasuke lips parted slightly in surprise as he stared at the bright blue sky. He closed his eyes as the wind caressed his face. Sakura found herself smiling as she watched him.

She felt safe now. Something within her was being born. Hope. Not everything was lost. At least Sasuke didn't look or act like a psychopath.

The pink-haired girl walked to the edge and looked down. To her surprise, they were just in what seemed to be a second floor.

"Ready?" she asked as she turned around to stare at him.

"Let's go." He answered quietly, jumping out.

Sakura watched as he landed graciously on the pavement. Pushing her chakra to her feet, she copied him.

* * *

He had never seen such incompetence before. It was clear to him that his little brother had some assistance in escaping. In his condition, it was highly doubtful that Sasuke would be able to break walls.

Sighing inwardly, he walked inside the broken office as though he owned it. He observed the wreckage and arched a single impressed eyebrow. Then, he gently turned his head to the other side and faced the furious blond-haired boy.

"Itachi." Naruto voice was oddly low and sounded somewhat as if he was going to have a stroke.

"Naruto."

Itachi smirked discreetly as the young boy right eye twitched in annoyance. How dare he, a simple foolish boy with simple-minded goals demand an Uchiha to call him master? Masking away his indignation, Itachi approached the desk and placed a wrapped object on the table.

"I found this in her room."

Naruto arched a curious eyebrow and unwrapped the object without any ceremony. His chin fell in shock as he stared at its content.

* * *

_A/N: A new chapter!!!!!!!! A big hug to littlekittyichigo for her help!_

_Anyways, I hope everyone enjoyed it. Please let me know what you think. In order for you to do that, there is that cute Review button, press it and voilà! _


	4. Unexpected Help

**Upside Down**

_Unexpected Help_

Bright green eyes stared up the darkened sky above, counting tiny pin pricks of twinkling silver that winked back at an unblinking stare. She was highly aware of the incredulous, mistrustful looks that he was giving her. She couldn't blame him though. If someone told her that they were from another world, dimension or whatever, she would have laughed stridently at their faces. A gust of gelid wind brushed through her, freezing her features. Blinking quietly, Sakura broke her gaze away from the dark sky and directed it toward the shivering dark-haired boy. He looked nothing like the Sasuke she knew.

His pale features were an open book for everyone to read. Unlike her Sasuke empty eyes that always gave her the feeling that she was looking at an empty shell, at someone without a soul, this Sasuke possessed a strange glimmering swimming within his dark orbs, showing that he was very much alive. Sakura fought the urge to take the photograph of her pocket. She was captivated by his handsome smile. She had a strange urge to carve that image inside her head forever to make up for all the smiles that her Sasuke should have smiled.

"We will part ways as soon as the sun rises." Sasuke said as he eyed the strange pink-haired girl. She was looking at him with a heartbreaking expression plastered on her face. It gave him the chills. It was weird to see Sakura look that way, but then again this was not the Sakura he knew.

Sakura blinked stupidly at him, "What?" she asked, jumping to her feet, "And pray tell, where the hell am I supposed to go?" she placed a hand on her hip and tapped her foot on the floor. Knitting her pink eyebrows together she waited for an answer.

Sasuke blinked back at the way she talked to him, "I can't trust you," he said, arching an amused eyebrow as the pink-haired girl green eyes flashed dangerously at him. Her lips were pressed firmly as though she was stopping herself from exploding. Well, there was one thing that both Sakura seemed to have in common… their short temperature.

"Oh?" Sakura furious expression faded away, her lips curved into a cunning smirk, "is that so?" she asked as she stepped forward toward his sitting figure, "are you telling me," she pointed at herself, "that you," this time she pointed at him, her green eyes sparkling with entertainment, "are going to wander off by yourself while a bunch of psychopaths are in your pursuit? Seriously…" she paused while shaking her head, "you won't last long… not in that condition."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he stared at her self-satisfied smile. This Sakura sure knew how to play games. Gritting his teeth, he pushed himself upward. What pissed him the most was the fact that she was right. His whole body was still sore from all the torturing and his chakra wouldn't be of any use if his body couldn't withstand it. Maybe he should have accepted her help to heal his wounds. Maybe she wasn't lying when she said she was a well-known medic-nin. Kami, he didn't know what to believe or what to think anymore.

"Well?" Sakura asked as she waited for an answer. Her sparkling green eyes met his vibrant dark ones.

"Fine." Sasuke hissed, still not entirely content with the whole situation he found himself in.

Sakura nodded and flashed him a wide smile, showing of her perfect teeth, "Then we should get going. Hinata and Shino are probably on the search right now," she said as she recalled what she had read on Naruto's journal. According to the notes, Sakura believed that Hinata and Shino were the best of the best when it came to track people.

Sasuke inhaled deeply and nodded. This was awfully strange to him. Standing there and having a respectful conversation with another Sakura from another alternative dimension was definitely brain wrecking. He had to keep himself in control, to remember that she was not the enemy.

"We should head north," Sasuke said as he looked up toward the sky, breaking his gaze away from her perfect smile, it was highly disconcerting to see her smile, "we will have to break through Lightening country defenses and get to the Rain country as soon as possible."

"Let's go." Sakura whispered softly as she looked at Sasuke somber expression. His pale features were bathed by the moonlight, giving him a mystified look. An electric feeling shot through her spine as an awful realization dawned upon her. She had nowhere to go. She was stuck in only Kami knows where with no possibly means of returning home. And even if she could return home, what was the point? Everyone was gone.

Right now, he was all she had.

"Hn."

Both started walking toward north, engrossing themselves further within the forest core. The tall trees danced along with the gentle breeze, their shadows lurked around as both walked in complete silence, each one absorbed in their own thoughts, both wondering about one another. Sasuke looked at Sakura by the corner of his eyes. She looked tired. Only then, he noticed her swollen cheek. He narrowed his eyes in displeasure.

"W-what?" Sakura stammered trying her best not to look at his narrowing eyes that eyed her like a vast ocean.

"Nothing…" he replied shortly, paying more attention to what was ahead of him.

Sakura sighed inwardly, then turned her head to look at him and asked the question that had been bugging her since she read about this other Sakura on Naruto journal. "Ne… what was Sakura like?"

Sasuke lips parted and allowed breath. Sakura thought he was going to speak, but he didn't.

"My Naruto was so highly annoying… yet one could never get tired of him… always preparing crazy pranks around the village… always touching strangers with his big warm heart…" Sakura voice became softer with every word. She missed him, the loud voice, the way he called out her name, the intent warm gaze of his blue eyes whenever he looked at her. Her breath rate increased as she felt herself tremble, she missed the way he chuckled, the way he teased her, toying with her mood purposely. She missed the way… **Stop**, she pleaded with her brain, forcing all thoughts of him to vanish.

Sakura steadied herself, holding back tears that threatened to fall. She bit down onto her lip, pushing the image of his long and thin face away with eyes like chip of dark blue ice. God, if he saw her now he'd just say how pathetic she looked.

Sasuke said nothing. The Naruto she was talking about was nothing alike the Naruto he grew up with. He closed his eyes for a moment and found himself wondering what would have been like to have been born in her world.

"Look!" Sakura exclaimed, breaking herself from all the previous depressive thoughts. Her green orbs stared at the small village ahead.

Sasuke opened his eyes and scanned his surroundings. The village was probably under Naruto troop's vigilance. They would have to play low. Coming to an abrupt stop, he quickly glanced behind his shoulder, dark eyes quickly turned red.

"They are here."

Sakura took in a deep breath as she stopped to turn at the dark-haired Uchiha with wide eyes. She looked around her, she couldn't see anyone. Only then, she noticed the small bugs crawling through the trees trunks.

"Shino." She whispered ferociously as she glared at the bugs with pure hatred.

"Tsk, Tsk…" a nerve-racking female voice echoed into the night cold air, "Shino-kun! Well isn't this a surprise… I caught us a traitor… and a whore."

Sakura clenched her jaw as Hinata came out behind a tree, revealing herself in a full ANBU outfit. Her dark-hair was up in a firm pony-tail and her poisonous eyes wore the power Byakugan blood-line. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Shino walking toward them. Even though his sunglasses and coat hided his features, Sakura could feel the murderous intent coming from him.

Sasuke simply stared ahead at Hinata, his face became blank as a statue. Sharingan met Byakugan.

"Sakura run." Sasuke voice was deep and serious.

Sakura stiffened as though her feet were glued to the floor. Turning her head to look at Sasuke, her eyebrows lined in indignation, "You have to be kidding me!" Sakura replied fuming.

"Ooooooh? Sakura is going to fight?" Hinata mocking voice made Sakura wriggle.

Kami, her murdering instincts were starting to kick in. Sakura wanted rip Hinata members one by one, crush her crucial organs and heal her just enough to keep her alive to experience full pain. Looking away from the quiet Uchiha, it became obvious to Sakura that Sasuke was determinate to fight Hinata. Sakura redirected her gaze towards Shino, her green eyes flashed determinately. She would show them.

Shino made the first move. With a simple seal, the bugs that were crawling in the tree trunk went flying toward her. Sakura snorted. He would have to do much better than that if he intended to bring her down. With an acrobatic move, Sakura jumped backwards. Pushing her eyebrows together, her face became dead serious, her eyes focused on the flying bugs. Pressing her hands together, Sakura quickly performed a couple of hand seals. The ground shook with a brutal strength. Dirt, rocks and vegetation were completely destroyed, creating a profound crater on the soil.

Everyone stopped dead in their tracks as strong spiral of water was shot from the crater towards the sky. The bugs fell dead onto the floor. The water was immediately extinguished and small droplets fell down imitating the rain.

Sasuke was the first one to react. He dashed toward Sakura, held her by the wrist and pulled her toward the village. Clenching his jaw firmly, he could hear the other two dashing after them.

"Wh-What are you doing?" Sakura asked quietly as Sasuke pulled her forward, "We can beat them!"

"Shut up!" Sasuke hissed, "There's more of them!"

"W-what?" Sakura stuttered as she shoved her arm away from his grasp. She pushed chakra to her feet and ran by his side, "More?!" she asked quite loudly, her eyes wide with panic.

Sasuke nodded shortly, "Yes, more. He is here too." He replied, answering to the question she didn't voice out.

"Shit." Sakura whispered as they penetrated the village boundaries. Her eyes stared at the tall figure ahead. His dark-long hair and red eyes were hard to miss, "Itachi."

Sasuke crimson eyes followed her troubled gaze, "Hn… go ahead and leave him to me."

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked, her heart fast beating, her mind quite hesitant in leaving Sasuke by himself. She didn't know what the brothers' story was like in this world, but she guessed that it couldn't be that much different from hers.

"Go."

Nodding, Sakura turned east while Sasuke carried on toward Itachi. She jumped upward toward a rooftop, her heart yelling at her to go back, to help Sasuke while her brain yelled at her to comply.

Sakura edged further towards the edge of the roof, eyes ready for the slightest change in the shadows. Hesitating a few seconds just a foot from the roof edge, she cast a quick glance about before dashing forward with full force to cover the three foot gap that separated her from the next building across the way. She breathed with relief as she landed on the other roof with a soft step.

"Going anywhere?"

The hair of the back of her neck slowly stood up as Itachi whispering voice licked her right ear. Eyes widening, she quickly spun around, and threw herself backwards, increasing distance between them.

"Where's Sasuke?! What did you do to him?" Sakura asked as she gritted her teeth.

Itachi raised an impressed eyebrow, "I see…"

Sakura stepped backwards as he stepped forward, "Well?!"

"Sakura… you chose to come here in a very bad time." Itachi replied, a playful smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

He knew! Itachi knew… but how?

As if guessing what was in her mind, Itachi pushed his hand inside his blue navy pants, retrieving a small red agenda. Cocking an amused eyebrow, he opened it at a random page.

"_Friday_, dinner with Ino-pig. _Saturday_, hospital duties. _Sunday_, meeting with tsunade-sama…" he paused, his smirk still adorning his tanned features, "Should I continue?"

Sakura glared at him, a strong urge to jump on him and wipe that annoying smirk off his face was slowly taking over her senses, "What happened to Sasuke?" she asked quietly, taking another step backwards at the same time Itachi stepped forward.

"He… got away." Itachi responded slowly.

Sakura raised a doubtful eyebrow at his answer, "He got away?" she repeated as she took another step backwards. Her eyes widened as she realized that her foot didn't touch anything solid.

A fall from five-stories would have been awfully painful of course, resulting more than likely with many a broken bone. But luckily enough for Sakura, a fall from six-stories was something she wouldn't experience just yet. Somehow luck just seemed to be on her side that night. She came to her senses as a strong pair of arms held her tight by her waist. She gasped and was momentarily out of air as she found herself being pulled upwards. Sakura exhaled a relieved breath before glancing down at the rest of the fall she missed out on.

"Damn... that would have really been bad, un." Her eyes then lifted at the sound of her savior voice. Her green orbs stared in awe at the long blond-hair and at the piercing greenish-blue eye that stared back at her.

* * *

_Author Note: Can you guess who Sakura saviour is?!? Haha, it's an easy one really. _

_Thanks to everyone for your endless support. I hope this chapter was satisfying. _

_Oh... that's right... review! _


	5. Bitten

**Upside Down**

_Bitten_

Deidara arched an unimpressed eyebrow at Itachi as he set foot on the rooftop. He elegantly stepped forward, disregarding the fact that he was still holding the pink-haired girl by her waist, "Got her." Sakura was too shocked to even react. She felt like a marionette swinging in the blond Akatsuki arms, her brain felt like it had been crushed right in front of her eyes, immobilizing her every rational thought.

Itachi pressed his lips firmly, his bloodied sharingan burning invisible holes through Deidara, "Nice catch," his voice came out too low and too forced.

The blond Akatsuki lips etched into a cunning smirk as he adjusted the pink-haired girl in his arms. Sakura green orbs widened as though she had just woken up. She gazed directly at Itachi murder-like expression and was once again petrified. Her heart pounded against her chest, begging for answers. Every breath came like a knife slicing its way down her throat. Right now, she didn't know what to do or what to think.

"It has been quite a while, Itachi-san," Deidara smirk vanished at once and a hard looking expression briefly took over his features, "It seems like the weather is about to change, doesn't it?" Sakura inhaled deeply as Deidara grip on her waist increased.

Itachi nodded shortly and lowered his crimson eyes toward the awestruck pink-haired girl, "The wind is shifting to another direction..."

Deidara followed Itachi's gaze, "Hmm... I wonder how long the wind will keep blowing, though," a thoughtful expression swiftly ran through his face, he then snorted and gently placed Sakura down.

Sakura legs were tremulous and her head ached like hell. She pressed her feet hard on the ground as though that would prevent her from losing equilibrium. Hesitantly, she trailed her green eyes away from cold crimson ones onto her saviour.

"What is... what is going on?" Sakura choked out as her heart squeezed tightly. She recognized him at once. How could she not? He was the one who almost killed Gaara of the desert and tried to capture Naruto.

Deidara arched an amused eyebrow. The pink-haired girl looked so confused and lost. He grinned widely as he stared at Sakura, "How long did it take you to notice Itachi-san?"

"Not long." Itachi replied with a bored tone, "I found out as soon as I held her breasts."

Sakura eyes bulged, her lips parted in shock and her cheeks flushed furiously.

Deidara blinked and Itachi felt obliged to explain further, "Her breasts are genuinely."

Chuckling, Deidara watched Sakura with perked interest. Her ashamed expression vanished at once, her pink eyebrows furrowed and her emerald eyes sparkled with menace. She was livid.

Turning around and ignoring Deidara, she confidently raised her chin, straightened herself, clenched her hands into fists and glared at the Uchiha, "Where is Sasuke?"

Itachi smirked. Something inside him stirred with pleasure as he held her glare steady. This Sakura was definitely entertaining, "Sasuke... is in good hands."

Sakura eyes widened, "What d-do you mean?"

"He means that Sasuke is already ahead of us." Deidara cut in placing a gentle hand in her shoulder.

Sakura stiffened at the cold touch. Her instincts kicked in automatically. With one hand, she reached his and dug her nails in his skin. With her free hand, she clenched tightly to him, and then with a strong impulse, she threw him over her shoulder.

Deidara let out a surprised cry as his back collided with the roof.

Itachi once again eyed the pink-haired girl. He was hardly ever surprised, but then again, this was not the Sakura he was used to. By the corner of his eyes, he saw Deidara who was clutching his head in obvious pain. Deidara was not one to be defeated easily. In fact, if he could recall correctly, the only one time the blond lost was probably to him.

"You're fucking dead, yeah."

Sakura sneered slightly as the blond jumped to his feet, his face dead serious.

"We have no time left. He is coming."

Both Sakura and Deidara looked at Itachi.

"Eh? Who is? And why-" Sakura blinked as she realized that Itachi was standing in front of her, his arms were crossed around his chest, his red eyes staring intently at her.

"Keep him alive... will you?" Sakura looked up at Itachi; her pale features wore a mixture of emotions, bewilderment, distress, suspicious, sadness and anger. She felt at the border of an abyss. Her head was like an endless maze, where she tried to get a hold of a coherent thought.

"What?" Sakura whispered. Her voice was too frail and too strange to her own ears. Was he asking her... to look over Sasuke?

"Ready!" Deidara voice echoed from behind her.

"We'll meet soon, Haruno." Itachi said while his eyes wandered away toward the giant clay bird.

Sakura swallowed dry. For some unexplainable reason she found herself hoping to see him again. She opened her mouth to say something but was abruptly interrupted when a strong arm yanked her away.

"Fuck. He's here." Deidara frowned deeply as he recognized the chakra signature.

Sakura stared at the hand which was holding her arm. She wriggled slightly under his grasp, "It's tickling me!" she complained as the blond Akatsuki threw her toward the clay bird without any ceremony. As soon as she landed on the bird, she froze completely, expecting to fall down anytime soon.

"SAKURA!"

Her bloodstream went numb as the awful familiar voice rang inside her ears. She looked over her shoulder, her gaze fixed upon the wrathful Naruto. However, that was not what shocked her the most. She was most shocked to see Itachi run toward Deidara, kunai ready in his hand. Deidara who was still facing Sakura, winked at her, "Hold on tight!"

Deidara tapped lightly on the clay bird and Sakura shrieked in surprise as it started to move towards the sky. She felt like a lost child as she remained sat on the bird, her green eyes set on the three individuals standing on the rooftop. She was all alone... again.

She fiercely shook her head. What the hell was she thinking? He was... an Akatsuki. He was a bloody killer... then again... so was this strange Naruto. Sakura closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She prayed everything that had happened to her was a dream. If it wasn't, her life had just been turned upside down.

* * *

Deidara quickly turned around and blocked Itachi's kunai with one of his own. Both looked straight into each other eyes with an identical hatred expression. Deidara was the first to break his gaze away, his greenish-blue eye widened as he spotted the blonde-haired leaf ninja run into his direction, a blue ball of chakra spinning in his hand.

"Damn." Deidara cursed, jumping backwards, increasing the distance between him and the other two.

Itachi pressed his lips together in sheer annoyance as he watched Naruto run past him, toward Deidara. How dare he to run ahead in such a pompous manner, disregarding completely the fact that the enemy was already taken. Clenching his jaw, Itachi was not surprised when Deidara easily dodged the blown.

Naruto was strong. However, he lacked the strength of the Kyuubi. The Akatsuki was still in advantage. Yet, Itachi wondered how long such advantage will last? It was only a matter of time until Naruto could find a way of exploring the other tailed-beasts chakra.

"Itachi! Don't just stand there and watch!" Naruto growled angrily. His deep blue eyes were blinded with rage.

Itachi snorted loudly, "When you assumed the control of the fight I thought you actually knew how to fight."

"Hah! Good one, Itachi-san!" Deidara exclaimed as he avoided every hit Naruto tried to land on him.

Naruto clenched his jaw and reached for his holster. He took out a small syringe and smirked as he lifted it up in mid-air. Itachi eyes widened at the red content.

"Shit." Both Deidara and Itachi whispered.

Naruto injected the red liquid straight into his neck. Blue eyes quickly faded away giving its place to a dark red colour. His smirk grew into a wide wicked smile, showing off his elongated canines. Fixing his gaze on the blond Akatsuki, Naruto looked up to the dark starry sky and howled.

"That's cheating, un." Deidara retorted as his gaze vacillated between Naruto and a quiet Itachi.

Itachi quietly observed as Naruto transformation occurred. Something was not quite right. He had never seen this happen before, not without the Kyuubi. How had Naruto get hold of that strange liquid? That was something that he absolutely needed to find out and fast. Hastened footsteps caught his attention. Taking a quick glance over his shoulder, Itachi saw Hatake Kakashi approaching them.

"Yo!"

Itachi said nothing in return.

Deidara carefully studied Naruto ignoring the masked nin. Luckily for him, the blonde-haired leaf transformation process seemed to be oddly slow. He didn't lose any time. Preparing his clay, the blond Akatsuki launched himself toward Naruto.

Itachi and Kakashi looked intently as Deidara ran towards Naruto. Both of them looked quite hesitant in stopping him.

"We have some interesting company tonight." Kakashi said as his dark eye followed the blond Akatsuki.

"Hn." Itachi clenched his jaw in annoyance. With a single flash-step he stopped in front of Deidara, blocking his way.

"What the-"

"We have company."

"Fuck it, yeah! I can finish him right here, right now!" Deidara exclaimed, pushing his brows together in absolute hatred.

Itachi glared at Deidara, "Idiot. Have you forgotten? We need him alive."

Deidara inhaled deeply and then his face went blank, free of any emotions. His greenish-blue eye stared straight into Itachi red sharingan as if he was stating that he was not scared of it. Deidara redirected his gaze toward Naruto who was crouching on the rooftop, his fingernails scratching and penetrating through the solid roof tiles.

"Riight..." the blond Akatsuki mumbled, gritting his teeth.

"It's time to go Deidara." Kakashi said with a resolute tone as he stuck his hands inside his pockets.

Deidara nodded shortly and turned his back on them. He needed to hurry back to the pink-haired girl. With a long suffering sigh, he jumped away toward the next building, bursting up his chakra in order to increase his speed. He was livid. He hated when he couldn't finish his targets and lately the Uchiha bastard had been stopping him from doing so. He had the chance right there. Fuck the plans. Who needed them anyway? Naruto should be killed as soon as possible and he had just wasted a fine opportunity. Kami, he needed to hurry toward the pink-haired girl so that he could disappear again.

As he ran through the rooftops, Deidara came to a sudden stop as the hair of the back of his neck rose. He quickly spun around and his eye grew wide in surprise.

Naruto jumped in mid-air, his mouth wide open showing off his long canines. A loud scaring howl escaped Naruto's mouth freezing Deidara in his spot.

The blond Akatsuki closed his eyes and waited for the painful blow to come.

* * *

Sakura clenched her left hand to her chest. It was beating too fast. Her emerald eyes gazed down at the masses of tall trees, the village was long gone from her eyesight. She bit on her lower lip as she carefully analyzed the latest events. It seemed as though her life really had been turned upside down. For starters, everyone she loved, all of her dear ones were turned into real creeps. Then...there was that Akatsuki who rescued her... she couldn't feel any threatening aura coming from him.

It was clear now that these people were not the ones she once knew. It also seemed that Naruto and the others were mistaking her to be some other weird Sakura, which led the young medic-nin to strengthen the idea of an alternative reality.

Sakura shook her head. It was ridiculous! Ridiculous beyond limits! The young pink-haired girl yelped without warning as the clay bird started to dash toward the ground at full speed. She tried to hold on but she was caught off surprise when the bird abruptly stopped causing her to be thrown away.

"Ow!" Sakura exclaimed bitterly as she looked up to glare at the clay bird, "That frikkin' hurt!" She then looked down at her bruised hands and knees and made a funny face. All of a sudden, soft footsteps caught her immediate attention. Slowly jerking her head towards left, Sakura stared directly into someone she was sure to be dead.

"You…" she whispered, feeling rather lightheaded as though some high fever took over her whole body.

The tall man looked down at the pink-haired girl and licked his lower lip, showing of his long tongue.

Sakura looked up at him still in complete disbelief. He was wearing the famous dark cloak with those silly red clouds, his long dark-hair fell elegantly over his shoulders and his yellow slit eyes stared intently at her with a strange sparkle of amusement.

"Haruno Sakura," Orochimaru crouched down so he could be at the same level as Sakura, "It's a great pleasure to finally meet you. Although, we have probably met each other under some other circumstances, ne?" a light chuckle escaped his lips, sending a gelid sensation down Sakura's spine.

This was slowly killing her. There she was, looking straight into the eyes of the man who took her Sasuke away, the one who brainwashed Sasuke with power, promising him the full success of his vengeance.

"Oro-chi-ma-ru," a singing voice cut the heavy tension, "Leave the little girl alone."

Both Sakura and Orochimaru looked toward the voice direction. Sakura lips parted and a loud sob escaped without warning, "I-Ino!"

The blonde-haired girl was leaning into a tall tree, her arms crossed and a wide grin plastered in her face, "Look at that, you remember my name!" her tone of voice was enthusiastic, yet fake.

Orochimaru slowly stood up and walked toward Ino, "How is he?"

Without averting her eyes away from Sakura, she replied, "He will eventually survive. He's an Uchiha isn't he?"

"Sasuke?" Sakura immediately asked, "Where is he? Is he alright?"

Ino grin immediately vanished. With an incredible speed she was suddenly in front of Sakura, "Never speak his name again."

Sakura blinked softly at the strong hatred present in the blonde-haired girl tone of voice, "But I-" Sakura gasped as a unbearable pain shot through her hand towards her arm. Eyes widening, she lowered her head towards her hand. Ino's foot was stepping it.

With a sickening jeer, the blonde kunoichi squirmed her foot enjoying the sound of Sakura's broken bones.

"You what?" Ino asked as she pulled Sakura's hair, moving her head upwards so that they could face each other, "Just you know, I don't care whether you're another Sakura or not, to me you'll always be trash. Remember that."

Ino looked deeply into Sakura's deep green eyes. It annoyed her. She hated those eyes. Whether this Sakura was different from the other it didn't mattered. It didn't matter because both of them had those vibrant captivating eyes. Green eyes that mirrored something that Ino could never have.

"Now, now Yamanaka. That is not how we greet a guest, now is it?" Orochimaru interrupted while he gently pushed Ino away. With a long sigh he looked down at the completely desperate pink-haired girl. She looked so out of place, alone in the world with no idea of what was going on. Truth to be told, he felt drawn to this young girl. The way she had looked into his eyes instantly told him that there was something… an important story behind that cold shocking look she wore… a story which he absolutely needed to hear.

"Here." The tall man extended a helpful hand toward Sakura.

Sakura looked at the incredible pale hand and shuddered. This felt wrong. So wrong. First Ino had acted awfully hostile and now Orochimaru was trying to help her. Orochimaru of all people… was smiling gently at her. It was a smile which held no second intentions. Still the gelid sensation would not budge away. Her stomach still twisted uncomfortable and she felt as if she was going to throw up and fall unconscious anytime soon.

The pink-haired girl trembled vaguely as she extended her good hand toward the man she learned to despise through the years. Green eyes locked themselves with his snake-like ones.

As soon as her cold fingers touched his pale ones, Orochimaru pulled Sakura toward him with a furious force causing her head to collide with his chest. Yelping, Sakura tried to force her chakra but it was too late.

The hair of the back of her neck rose as she felt the wind caress her bare neck. A loud scream came out of her mouth as two sharp fangs bit into her skin.

"This is how you greet them properly, Yamanaka-chan."

Ino cerulean eyes stared in shock as Orochimaru bit into Sakura's neck. This was too far… way too far.

"S-sss-stop it…" Ino whispered, feeling her knees buckle.

* * *

He waited and waited but it never came. There was not a single tingle of pain shooting through his body. With his eyes still closed, he roamed his hands through his body and concluded that it was still intact, which could only mean that he was definitely still alive. Inhaling deeply, he opened one eye and stared at the hunched large figure standing in front of him.

"You were taking too long. You know that I hate waiting, Deidara."

Deidara didn't know whether he was relieved to see his sempai or not. He hated to be seen in these pathetic situations, especially by him. He didn't need or call for any help. If he was going to die, then he would die honourably like an honourable man would. He was ready for Naruto's hit. As soon as that happened he was willing to leave this world with a bang. He and Naruto exploding like firework made of human flesh and blood. He was sure that many generations to come would remember and applaud such event.

He eyed the two figures ahead. Sasori had his back turned to Deidara, his high tail waving in the air as though giving the transformed Naruto a warning.

Naruto stood still facing Sasori, his red eyes flashing dangerously. It looked as though this new formula that allowed Naruto to transform also allowed the leaf maniac to have some brains.

"Sasori-danna," Deidara groaned slightly irritated, "What are you doing here? I have everything under control, yeah."

"I know that," Sasori replied, his voice was cranky and deep, "I just thought you should hurry towards the girl. I don't feel like babysitting."

"What the hell! You left her with those two?!" Deidara didn't wait for an answer. He clenched his jaw as he turned around and hurried toward Sakura. He could only hope that those two wouldn't let the pink-haired girl appearance get to them. Sure they knew she was a whole different person, yet it was still hard for them to forgive and forget.

"_Please! It's my only child… I… please take me!" a good-looking woman begged on her knees, blue deep eyes were red from all the tears, her face was swollen and bloodied, both arms were trying to hide her naked breasts._

"_You? Take you? Please don't make me cry," a pink-haired girl exclaimed with a loud boring tone, her eyes staring straight into the begging woman eyes, "You disgust me,"__ she added, raising her chin, adopting a snobbish air, "you offered yourself to my men to save that trash son of yours," Sakura smirked and nodded at the two leaf nins standing beside the poor begging woman._

"_Noo! Please! NOOO!"_

"_Kill them both."_

Deidara fiercely bit into his lip drawing a small quantity of blood. He still needed to hurry because he knew and felt it the moment he looked at her.

She was different.

* * *

"Is it really okay not to follow after them?" the masked silver-haired man asked with a slight worried tone. With his uncovered eye he discreetly looked at the Uchiha. Kakashi somehow expected an indifferent expression from Itachi and was actually surprised to see a flicker of worry on his face.

"I can no longer feel Deidara's chakra. However-"

"There's nothing we can do," Itachi replied sullenly, "we were given orders."

Kakashi sighed and nodded shortly. Orders which they could not under any circumstances disobey. Even if that meant to let one of their comrades die.

"Rest in peace, Sasori-sama," Kakashi mumbled quietly as he looked upward to the sky. At the same time a loud frightening roar that was able to freeze anyone's blood echoed into the night air.

Somehow it felt wrong to stare at such shinning beautiful stars for no blood should ever be shed under such a beautiful sky. Itachi hands curled into fists and sighed in exasperation. He would deal with the consequences later... because now... he had someone to save.

* * *

It hurt.

It was as if an invisible fire was spreading all over her body, burning, peeling her skin. She tried to break free, run away from the awful pain but she couldn't, nothing would make it stop. Not her tears or her pleas. She felt herself fall down, her head crashing on the rocky ground. Sakura vision quickly became blurry and her body started to shake violently. Her right hand clutched tightly onto the ground while her broken hand simply trembled.

Now she knew exactly what Sasuke felt the day he was bitten.

"We... we weren't supposed to go that far!" Ino dropped to her knees and gently placed Sakura's head in her lap, "What is happening to her? What if she dies?"

Panic rushed through Ino's bloodstream. They were supposed to take her alive. That was the whole point of the mission. Ino befell speechless as she looked down at the pink-haired girl painful features. She couldn't explain it but as she looked into Sakura eyes, she felt like she was having a déjà vu. Biting her lip, she gently brushed a few pink locks away from Sakura's forehead.

Orochimaru looked down at the two girls and snorted. Young kunoichi were just useless, "If she dies then she is not worth it. It's simple as that."

"If she dies, you die."

Orochimaru arched an amused eyebrow, "And who is the one who is going to kill me? You Deidara-kun?" He turned around and smirked.

"That would be me."

Orochimaru froze at the sound of the deep voice. Deidara rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his messy hair, "What are you doing here?!"

"Our cover is long gone," Itachi answered shortly, his red eyes roaming toward the now unconscious pink-haired girl.

"What-" Ino opened her mouth to say something but stopped in mid-sentence as she spotted the famous copy-nin walking between the bushes with a pretty beaten up Sasori over his shoulder, "happened..." she finished, her voice only just a whisper.

Itachi ignored the blonde-haired girl. He walked toward Sakura's limp body and easily picked her up, "Let's go."

* * *

_A/N: Thanks so much for the wonderful reviews!!! _**_YOU GUYS ROCK!_**

_A big thanks and a big hug to _**_littlekittyichigo_**_ for her support! _


	6. Drowning

Upside Down

**Drowning**

* * *

The relaxing sound of the ocean quickly perked her interest. It was too bright making it hard to see her surroundings. However, Sakura carried on walking straight ahead, never stopping, and never faltering a single step. Her bright emerald eyes were fixed on the unknown while her hammering heart danced along with the waves. Small wrinkles adorned her large forehead as she increased her speed. She had been walking down this unknown path for so long that she wondered if it was ever coming to an end. The soothing sound of the ocean waves always sounded too close... nonetheless, Sakura was not sure if she was getting any closer.

A long sigh escaped her lips. She was getting tired, she wanted to stop, to throw herself into the floor and just sleep away. But she couldn't… because in the background… because beyond the ocean wave's resonance… there was someone calling out for her.

Sakura legs felt incredibly heavy as though she was carrying thousands of pounds on her back. She finally stopped and exhaled shakily, then started a long, irregular inhale. She needed to carry on.

After what seemed to be an eternity, she finally arrived. How did she know that she had arrived? Because, he was right there, right in front of her with a wide smile plastered over his whiskered features.

"Can you see it Sakura-chan?"

She blinked softly and looked at where he was pointing at. Her green orbs stared in awe at the vast beautiful ocean.

"Yeah…" Sakura whispered as the sun dropped leaving a glorious afterglow spread across the sky, "yeah… I can see it." She added quietly, a smile forming on her own face, wearing, erasing her strenuous expression.

Naruto looked over the pink-haired girl, "Ne, Sakura-chan… what do you feel when you look at the ocean?"

Sakura green orbs caught his intense blue ones, "Me?" Naruto nodded, telling her to carry on. Sakura darted her eyes over the ocean and watched as the waves moved slowly into a new direction, "You know… it feels kind of weird," there was a small pause, a comforting silence between the two friends, "it feels like I am being dragged down with the waves… as if a big change is coming straight at me."

"Eh? Really?" Naruto asked, smiling.

"I just told you, you idiot!" Sakura retorted, her eye twitching slightly.

Naruto laughed, startling the pink-haired girl. Sakura turned her head to stare at the laughing blond. Somehow his laugher sounded way too nostalgic to her. Somehow, she had missed this amazing, relaxing sound.

"What about you, Naruto?" she asked, smiling tenderly at him.

Naruto sighed, placing himself next to the pink-haired girl, "Amazement, always." Sakura lips parted slightly when his serious tone of voice reached her, "Did you know? The ocean is never the same; the waves are like living beings swimming, they swim along with the wind. They are always searching for something, something that was left behind. Something that was lost."

"Naruto…" Sakura was impressed… but above all scared.

"Don't swim Sakura. Don't let yourself fall in despair to find something that can never be restored." Naruto hand briefly touched hers. Normally Sakura would shift away at the slightest touch but she didn't budge. Instead, she held his hand.

"No… Naruto… don't-"

"Drown. You have to let yourself drown." Naruto turned to face her, "If you let yourself drown to the depths of the ocean, who knows what you will find there?"

"NO!" Sakura fiercely shook her head, tears now escaping her eyes, "You promised! You'd never let me alone! You promised!"

"Good-bye, Sakura-chan."

Sakura gasped as Naruto dissolved into small droplets of water. She didn't have time to even breathe. A long tall wave hit her hard, dragging her down to the ocean. As she finally reached the surface, she took in a deep breath. Her eyes searched and searched for something to hold on but found nothing. There was just water around her. Water and more water. She gulped, tears blinding her vision.

"Why…" she whispered, spitting salt water, "why…" closing her eyes, she allowed herself to be taken away.

She allowed herself to drown.

* * *

"_Sakura… I think this is it." Naruto whispered. His intense blue eyes were losing its color._

"_No… please," she cried softly while caressing his blond dirty hair, "Don't say that… don't."_

"_I… it's cold… so cold." Naruto shivered and gritted his teeth together._

"_Dammit, Naruto!" Sakura cried out, tears finally falling down, "you promised…"_

"_I know… I know…"_

* * *

"Sakura! Sakura! Sakura… damn it… wake up!"

The blond-haired man sighed inwardly as his greenish-blue eye looked at the kneeling dark-haired boy. His eye twitched violently as the younger Uchiha called out for the pink-haired girl name one more time.

"Just shut the fuck up, yeah." Deidara complained while he massaged his forehead.

Sasuke looked up at the source of the voice, his dark eyes boring directly into Deidara ones, "What did you just say?" Sasuke asked quietly, his voice barely a whisper.

Deidara lips curved upwards at Sasuke's question, "What? Are you deaf?"

"Enough."

Both men turned their heads to stare at the worried and guilty consumed Ino. She was sitting on the floor, her arms around her legs and her chin resting between her knees. Her deep cerulean eyes were staring intently at Sakura sleeping form, "It's enough, already…" she whispered softly.

"It is your fault." Deidara pressed on, knowing it too well that his words would only worsen her guilt, "She is not the Sakura we are used to. This girl is something else." He added, as he recalled the way Sakura wary and frightened eyes stared into his when he rescued her.

Ino sobbed quietly and buried her head between her knees.

Sasuke pressed his lips together as he looked over the pink-haired girl that looked exactly the same as his teammate. He still felt weird around her. He had to try too hard not to snap, not to let his hatred feelings out. However, right now his feelings were nothing but a gigantic commotion. Why was he this worried over her? He didn't know her. He knew nothing about her.

* * *

"_I know this will sound crazy but… I am from another dimension." Sakura shifted uncomfortably._

_Sasuke blinked a couple of times, his dark eyes clearly asking her if she was out of her mind._

"_I'm not lying!" Sakura exclaimed, now desperate for someone to believe her, "This world is fucked up… seriously! Why the hell is Uchiha Itachi still alive? And why would Naruto… stick up with the likes of him?"_

_Sasuke eyes widened, "What… are… you… trying to say?"_

"_Everything and everyone is so damn different…" Sakura whispered, running a trembling hand through her pink-hair, "you are so different." She smiled sadly._

* * *

Just then, the doors flew open, catching everyone by surprise. It revealed a tall blue skinned man, carrying a bloodied giant sword, "What's with those ugly faces?" a sly smirk decorated his features.

Deidara jerked his head and stared at the bloodied sword, "What's with all that blood?"

Ino finally looked up, her eyes were red from crying, "Kisame-san…" she whispered softly, her throat was burning and her entire body was shivering.

"He will be alright." Kisame answered promptly. His eyes scanned the dark-haired boy kneeling next to the still unconscious pink-haired girl.

"Of course, he is going to be alright." Deidara reply followed after a short snort, "its Sasori-donno we are talking about."

"How is she?" Kisame asked, carefully leaning his sword against the wall.

"She's not any better." Sasuke replied as his dark eyes roamed over the awful purple spots around her neck.

"She will survive, though." Kisame retorted as his blue fingers touched her wound, "This one is a fighter."

Everyone stared up at the blue-skinned man with interest. It was an amusing thing to say. Deidara smirked slightly. He was eager to see and get to know this new Sakura.

"A fighter?" Sasuke repeated, "How would you know?"

"Oh, that's right." Kisame started, "You haven't been told about it."

"About what?" The young Uchiha asked, clenching his jaw tightly, he waited for a response. He absolutely hated to be left behind.

"About the switch." Kisame answered shortly. He turned around to face the dark-haired boy, "We switched them." He tilted his head toward the sleeping pink-haired girl, giving Sasuke the needed hint.

Deidara yawned loudly and stretched his arms, "Fucking heinous performance of yours, un."

"Aha, it is a very old seal that is passed down to younger generations. I have never thought it was possible to use it." Kisame smirked and proudly raised his chin, "It works almost like a transmission of chakra points. Of course the Kyuubi chakra helped me immensely. Once my sword sucked in Sakura's chakra, I was able to send her off to another world and then with the Kyuubi's help, I succeeded in tracking this Sakura chakra and drag her to our world."

Sasuke eyed the blue-skinned man skeptically, "So, the other Sakura is still alive?"

"Alive or dead, it doesn't matter, yeah." Deidara cut in, "What matters is, that we now have a powerful medic-nin on our side."

"Indeed."

Everyone stared at the new source of voice. Itachi was leaning against the door, arms crossed around his chest. His long hair was released from his bow string and reached his shoulders.

"Sasuke… you should rest."

Sasuke snorted at his older brother, "I'm fine."

Itachi arched an elegant brow, "Go rest."

Ino flinched at the harsh tension floating in the air. Even though, Itachi was not talking with her, she couldn't help the feeling that she too should leave and rest. She slowly stood up and stared at Sasuke, her cerulean eyes told him that he should go with her. However, Sasuke didn't glance at her not even once. His dark eyes stared challengingly stared into his older brother ones.

"I'm not leaving." Sasuke spoke defiantly.

Deidara scratched the back of his neck as he stared between the two brothers. His greenish-blue eyes stared at the two of them as though something entertaining was going to happen.

Kisame looked over the two brothers with a boring expression stamped on his face, "Can you not do this here?"

Itachi slowly looked at Kisame and smirked, "This will only take a second."

Sasuke gritted his teeth and his dark eyes immediately flashed red, "You arrogant bastard!" he ran toward his older brother, fist ready to land a hit.

Itachi didn't flinch. He waited for his little brother and just in the last second, he stopped the punch with a single finger.

"You lack patience." Sasuke eyes widened in shock. Just for a mere second he thought he had actually managed to hit his brother. His heart was hammering strongly against his chest, waiting for Itachi's strike. "Now go rest." Itachi ordered, insipidly.

Sasuke lowered his arm and walked past his brother, "I hate you."

Ino bit her lip and followed after the dark-haired boy.

"How is she?" Itachi asked while he walked toward the little bed.

Deidara sunk down further in his chair, "She'll live."

"I was not talking to you." Itachi replied, his dark eyes pausing on Sakura's bite mark.

Deidara pressed his lips together, deciding to ignore the bigheaded Uchiha. Kisame sighed inwardly, "Are you done pestering everyone around you?"

Itachi smirked, "Whatever are you talking about?"

Kisame shook his head, a small smile playing on the corner of his lips, "She will recover as expected."

"Aha." Itachi twisted his nose in distaste, he half-turned around and stared at Kisame's bloodied sword, "Who does all that blood belong to?"

"To that snake." Kisame replied with an annoyed voice, "He lived."

"Pity." Itachi replied shortly.

"Naruto…"

The three men went numb. Itachi dark eyes quickly became crimson at the mention of Naruto's name. He turned back around and stared at the sleeping pink-haired girl. She fidgeted slightly and her pink brows narrowed slightly. Her lips were parted and a soft purring could be heard now in the midst of the awkward silence.

"What? Was she in love with that bastard in that world of hers?" Deidara asked rather loudly. He was starting to feel highly intrigued.

"Hn." Itachi clenched his jaw as he stared at the pink-haired girl, "What does it matter to you? Are you interested in the medic-nin?"

Deidara looked at Itachi with an unreadable expression, "Not interested. Just wondering how good in bed she might be."

"If it's all about sex you can have fun with those fucked up hands of yours." Kisame suddenly interrupted, feeling somewhat tired of always listening to those two arguing, "No one is allowed to touch her. Leader-sama still wants to have a good look at her."

"Is he here yet?" Itachi asked, trying to mask his annoyance.

"Water."

"No, he's still not back from his mission." Kisame replied with a long sigh, "I don't know what is taking him this long."

"He always takes too long to complete his missions. He's probably having some fun on the way." Deidara interjected with a sly chuckle.

"Water, please."

"Hmm. If he had found some resistance he would already have let us know. There is no need to worry." Itachi added, as he took a seat on the bed's edge.

"Water! For crying out loud! I'M FUCKING THIRSTY!"

Sakura green eyes sparkled furiously. Itachi tried to stand up, feeling somewhat startled with the sudden outburst. However, he was not counting with a strong kick right in his chin.

"You!" she called out, now feeling more conscious of her surroundings. She gulped as she watched the dark-haired man collide against the wall. She nervously looked to her side, her eyes spotting the tall blue-skinned man. His wide grin allowed her to see his sharp teeth.

"Hello, Sakura. I am-"

"I fucking know who you are." Sakura replied suddenly, her heart pounding against her chest. Hoshigaki Kisame, the same man who gave her that scar. The same man who let her bleed to her own death.

"Isn't she feisty?" Deidara asked, rising from his chair.

Itachi didn't even move. He stood half buried under bits of the now wrecked wall staring at the aggressive pink-haired girl. Lips parting, he could feel blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. Yet, he couldn't take his eyes away from her frightened and wild expression.

Kisame arched an amused eyebrow, "No. You think you know who I am."

Sakura blinked softly at his entertained tone of voice. He didn't look threatening. Her eyes roamed around the room. She looked up at Deidara; the blond Akatsuki smirked at her earning a frown in response. Looking more into the left, she finally stared at Itachi.

His long hair was spread all over his face, his lower lip was bleeding and he was looking back at her with an uncomfortable strange expression. Swallowing dry, she sat on the bed and rubbed her eyes, "I'm thirsty." A small growl sound echoed in the air, "and hungry too."

Both Kisame and Deidara chuckled.

Itachi still didn't move. His heart was pounding strongly against his chest. What on earth was happening to him?

* * *

"You touch my muffins and I will fucking' kill you." Hidan scowled as he pushed the plate toward him.

"But I'm hungry!" Sakura replied, eyeing the delicious looking muffins with a heartbreaking expression.

"Just give her the muffins, un." Deidara groaned as he stared at the kitchen's mess.

"Why do I have to share with her?" Hidan replied, "I bought these with Kakuzu's money!"

"I hope you die." Sakura whispered, pouting.

"I can't die." Hidan chimed in with a superior look on his face, "I'm immortal."

"No one's immortal." Sakura said with a bored tone. Her green eyes stared at the white-haired Akatsuki. He was so different from what Shikamaru told her.

In fact, every single one was so damn different.

She smiled to herself as Deidara and Hidan struggled for the last muffin.

Her gaze caught a new silhouette. Uchiha Itachi was standing behind the two other Akatsuki. He quickly reached for the last muffin and threw it at her.

* * *

"_Yeah… I'm definitely drowning Naruto."_

* * *

_** Author's Note: EHHH? How did it go? Good... bad? Please lemme know! Review, otherwise Hidan won't share his muffins with you.**_


	7. The Meeting

**Warning: Contains Violence.**

* * *

**Upside Down**

The Meeting

* * *

The warm wind gently carried the message through the lush vegetation of the rain forest, traveled high into the dense canopy that shrouded the jungle in mystery. Wild honeybees built combs just beneath the crown, out of reach of most of the animals. If they heard the wind whispering, they ignored the tales to go about their business.

"M-master." Hinata straightened herself as she gathered up courage to speak her mind, "We should return to the base."

The others stopped altogether to stare at the blond-haired boy. Naruto slowly turned to look over his shoulder. His blue orbs pierced Hinata's soul, "Return?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, "I'm not returning." He spat loudly, making a few cringe, "I am not going anywhere."

Hinata lower lip trembled as Naruto held her frightened gaze steady, "B-b-but it's suicidal! We c-can't head toward the Rain Country just like that! We need a plan…"

Naruto lips etched into a smile. Hinata stopped herself from saying anything else. Her lavender eyes were trapped in his smile. The way his lips moved as if he was letting her inside a dark fatal secret. She felt powerlessly, she felt incredibly small, she felt like a child who wants to hold onto its mother hand for protection.

"They already have the Kyuubi on their side." Naruto paused, his eyes darted away from Hinata's pathetic figure onto the others, "And now they dared to take her away from me."

Hinata fought the urge to scream like she had never screamed before. She closed her hands into fists, her nails digging into the flesh. Eyes hardening, she stared at Naruto. Why? Why did he want to have her that much? She was nothing special.

"We understand." Everyone's gaze fell on Shikamaru, "However, it's prudent if we return to the base. We need to establish contact with the others and have them know our next step."

Naruto smile vanished from his tanned features. He stared at Shikamaru and then finally nodded, "Very well."

Hinata inhaled deeply as everyone started to move through the tall bushes. There was a small snort behind her. "Ridiculous, really." Tenten replied as she walked past Hinata, "Next time…why don't you try to throw yourself at his feet?"

"Now now, leave the princess alone." Anko smirked, raising a defiant eyebrow while Hinata glared at both girls, "Now that Haruno is not around anymore, she is the only useless whore left."

Hinata swallowed dry as Tenten suddenly came to a stop, "The area seems to be clear."

Anko smirk grew wider, "Christmas has arrived early for me!" She exclaimed happily as her eyes stopped on the Hyuuga heiress.

Tenten giggled, "Are you scared?"

"Yeah… this won't hurt… that much." Anko reached for her kunai holster, "Let me hear you scream." She laughed loudly and then licked her lower lip, closing her eyes in pure bliss.

Tenten smiled sweetly as she approached Hinata. The Hyuuga girl straightened herself and adopted a defensive posture, "You think you bitches will get away with it?"

"Why?" Tenten asked, arching an elegant eyebrow, "Are you going to run to your cousin telling on us?"

Anko adopted a scary expression, "Oh no!" She mocked, smirking, "please don't tell on us! P-p-please!"

Groaning, Hinata ran toward Tenten ready to strike. She gasped in pain when her hair was suddenly pulled behind. Anko sank her both hands into Hinata's hair, violently shaking her head from side to side. She sunk her nails deep into the Hyuuga's hair until her nails ripped at Hinata's scalp.

Hinata wanted to yell, but she was holding her breath. She didn't want to give them the pleasure to hear her scream. She moved her hands down and swiftly tried to open her kunai holster. Tenten laughed at seeing her pathetic struggle. Walking toward her prey, Tenten delivered hard blows on Hinata's face.

Still holding her breath, Hinata forgot the holster and with her right hand she grasped Anko's left breast and twisted it sadistically. Anko screamed in pain and had no choice but to release one of her hands from Hinata's hair to stop the clawing at her now clearly visibly damaged breast.

Tenten chuckled at both girls pained faces and then kicked Hinata's face. Blood dripped from her broken nose and fell down into her lips. The brute force of the kick made her lose her grip on Anko's breast.

"Here." Anko threw a kunai knife at Tenten who caught it easily.

"We're not killing her." Tenten said confused.

Anko rolled her eyes, "Give her a new hairstyle."

"Ohhh!"

Hinata stood motionless as Tenten fiercely grabbed her hair. Tears escaped from her face, blurring her vision.

"Done!" Tenten announced happily with her recent piece of art.

"Aha. Much better, don't you think?"

Both girls laughed at the same time as they left their victim behind.

* * *

The crow winged its way along the edge of the cliffs. Below, the waves crashed and foamed against the rocks, each one rising higher and higher, reaching almost angrily toward the black bird. The bird changed course, circling inland across the fields of flowers, above the bare slopes, flying higher and higher until it reached the timberline. It appeared to be meandering, slowly gliding across the sky, the waning rays of sunlight glistening off of its back. Patches of clouds began to drift across the horizon, almost in its wake, as if the bird was drawing a gray shadow across the land far below it.

Once in the thick stands of trees, the bird changed speed, swooped quickly, maneuvering through leafy branches, and around thick tree trunks, as if racing the setting sun. It flew as straight as possible, up the side of the hills into the grove of trees on the far slope of the mountain. It made its way unerringly to a thick, twisted branch. Settling there, it folded its wings rather majestically, round shiny eyes fixed intently on the pink-haired girl woman below.

Sakura carefully packed the rich soil around the small fern she had recently moved. The earth was more fertile and would enable her much needed and rarer shrubs to grow here. She used the extracts from the plants as medicine for the people in the surrounding village and farms. What had started as a small garden had grown into an enormous undertaking, transplanting all of the herbs and plants that could be used for various medicines and experiments. Her bare hands were buried deep within the soil, the rich fragrances of the plants enveloping her. A riot of color from the vegetation and flowers she had sown into the earth were scattered all around her.

She shivered suddenly as the gray shadows caught up with her, obscuring the last warming rays of the sun and leaving an ominous portent of disaster firmly entrenched in her mind. Very slowly Sakura stood up, dusting the damp soil from, her hands before she tilted her head to look up at the bird sitting so still above her in the tree.

"It's going to rain isn't it?" A long sigh escaped her rosy lips.

"It always rains around here." A familiar voice spoke from behind her.

Sakura looked behind her shoulder, bright emerald eyes widening, "Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi raised a curious eyebrow as he looked at the pink-haired girl in front of him. Sensei was not a word he was used to.

The medic-nin fought the urge to run toward him and hug him. She still had to repeat to herself that those people were not the ones she knew and loved, "Sorry." Sakura said after a while, "It's still very hard to… adapt."

Kakashi nodded shortly, "I see you are making progresses." He said motioning toward the garden.

Sakura smiled showing off her perfect teeth, "Are you interested in healing herbs?" Her tone of voice became louder and cheerfully.

The copy-nin couldn't help but to feel attracted to this new whole person. She was somehow the desperate sun that this country needed. He didn't have time to reply as Sakura moved to the left, kneeling down next to some tall greenish plants. Kakashi approached her and placed himself by her side.

Her fingertips reached the plant. Her touch was soft and gentle, "These are called Lyre-leaved sage. It's great to cure colds and nervous debility. If mixed with a combination of other herbs, it will help people with growing problems."

"Oh. So are you growing these for yourself?" Kakashi asked. A sly smirk could be detected even with his mask covering part of his face.

Sakura blinked as she slowly turned her head toward the silver-haired shinobi, "You said a joke." She said softly, a small smile decorating her pale features.

Kakashi chuckled, "Yeah. Not a very good one, so it seems."

Sakura quickly stood up, "No! It's not that! It just… reminded me of someone."

"Ah." Kakashi inhaled deeply, "Must be very hard to suddenly wake up in a complete different world."

The pink-haired girl quietly placed her long hair in a strong ponytail. She darted her eyes toward the grey clouds, "It's hard."

The masked-nin continued in silence, his dark eye absorbing every single emotion that crossed her face. There was sorrow, sadness, acceptance and the last one, hope. The sudden deep hope spread all over her features, bringing a different special aura to her form.

"But…" she carried on softly, "at the same time it's like this new opportunity was thrown at me. I can start again. I have the opportunity to live on for every single one of them. I owe them this much."

Kakashi said nothing and merely stared up at the grey sky.

"I don't know what the hell both of you are doing but it looks gay, yeah."

Sakura swiftly turned around to face the blonde-haired Akatsuki. Kakashi raised a curious eyebrow as he stared at the blonde's company. It was a rare sight to see those two together.

Itachi quietly looked over the pink-haired girl. She looked more and more comfortable around them. She shot him and Deidara a small smile.

"Is it dinner time?" Sakura asked, somewhat surprised to see them. Normally the blonde-haired boy would only come to her when it was a meal time.

"No." Itachi replied shortly.

For some reason Sakura did not like the way his voice sounded. Kakashi sighed gravely, "He's back?"

Deidara nodded, "Yeah. He arrived two hours ago."

Sakura looked at every single one them waiting for a kind soul to make things clear for her.

"He wants to see you." Itachi said as he looked straight into her green orbs. The medic-nin quickly looked away from his intense gaze, making him clench his jaw. It had been two entire weeks and every single time he established eye contact with her, she would turn her face away or find something else more interesting to stare at.

"Who wants to see me?" Sakura asked quietly, trying to quiet down the rhythm of her heart.

Deidara laughed as he took a few steps toward her, "What!? Are you scared?" He asked as he placed a strong arm around her shoulder, pressing her toward him.

"No." Sakura eye twitched violently, "I just want to know who this person is." She added as she pushed him away from her.

Kakashi looked at Itachi, "Well I take my leave, then." Then he looked back at Sakura, "It was nice to talk to you." Turning around, Kakashi started to walk toward the tall building.

Biting her lip, Sakura cupped her hands around her mouth, "PLEASE COME BACK AGAIN!" She watched hopefully as the silver-haired nin stopped. Not turning around, he simply raised his hand.

"Let's go." Itachi said with a bored tone. Deidara and Sakura traded accomplice looks before sticking their tongues out at Itachi's back.

* * *

Long dark shadows were everywhere, shading every bush and tree, every bench as the steel structure loomed up before them. It rose right out of the cliff, so out of place. There was an enormous tower rising toward the heavens, heavy and intricate windows. There were metal sculptures everywhere, huge, heavy ones and small delicate ones.

They made their way up the immaculate path with the great hulking statues glaring at them and the wind battering them continually. The door was massive, a great heavy thing intricately carved. Sakura studied the etchings for a moment while Deidara complained about the sudden cold.

"That is why I told you not to come." Itachi said before sighing in exasperation.

Sakura and Deidara were both shivering in the unrelenting wind. If Itachi was cold he did not show it. It was dark and very gloomy with the great hulk of the door staring unpleasantly at them. Itachi took hold of the heavy knocker and allowed it to drop so that it boomed cavernously, the sound hollow and mournful in the bands of fog and gathering darkness.

Rows of tapered candles burned in the entrance hall, flickering and dancing along the high walls, shrouding the long corridor and vaulted ceilings in grotesque shadows. For one moment neither moved. Itachi stepped into the house first. At once the earth shifted, the slightest of tremors, barely felt, but it was enough that the candles in the hall swayed and wax splattered onto the wall. The flames leapt high as if in warning. Sakura and Deidara looked at one another.

The Uchiha turned back to look at them. At once, Sakura followed him, her entire demeanor changed. She looked taller, confident, a quiet dignity clinging to her.

After ten minutes, the three of them stopped in front of a majestic door made of steel. Sakura was surprised to see the several country insignias. She looked up at Deidara but he only shrugged. Biting her lip, she looked up at Itachi.

The dark-haired male didn't need to look at her to know what she was so curious about. "Before the war—"

The door was suddenly open and Sakura found herself staring into two very frightening crimson orbs. Lips parted, she could hear her wild heartbeat resonance in the thick air. The cold stopped and a terrible hot sensation licked her spine up and down. Her legs trembled as she stared at the tall man in front of her.

Deidara opened his mouth to say something but stopped immediately when Itachi glared at him. Both men stood back as Sakura was trapped in Madara's sharingan.

Sakura stiffened, her heart thundering loudly in her ears. She tugged, a not so subtle reminder to release her, but he tightened his grip, not allowing her to escape back into reality. There was danger here; she sensed it, a threat to her.

Madara continued to hold her still. In the firelight he looked a dark and dangerous devil, far too sensuous and powerful to be trifled with. Sakura didn't waver beneath the scrutiny, although she wanted to run for her life. He was so much more dangerous to her than she had first thought.

Madara retained possession a few moments longer, then abruptly let her go, his eyes closing, clearly dismissing her. Sakura prevented the sigh of relief from escaping and moved swiftly to put a safe distance between them, unconsciously placing herself between the other two men.

"She is clean." Madara spoke at last. A wide smile graced his young handsome features.

Itachi raised an unimpressed eyebrow. It was obvious that she was clean. He merely wanted to pry into her head, open the doors he had no right to enter. Slowly, he watched the pink-haired girl hide her trembling hands behind her back.

"Please do come in." Madara said softly, his tone of voice was strong and had a hint of power in it. Sakura felt compelled to obey to him immediately.

The three of them stepped inside the room and watched as Madara walked toward his desk, "It's great to have you here with us, Sakura-chan."

Sakura nodded slowly, not daring to look at his features. Itachi stopped in front of Madara desk, pulled the single chair backwards and looked at Sakura, "Take a seat."

The pink-haired girl nodded slowly.

Madara leaned against his chair and adopted a serious expression, "Are you liking it here? Is anyone giving you a hard time?"

Sakura blinked softly at the unexpected question, "I…" she struggled in order not to touch the place where she had been bitten, "H-hai. Everyone is treating me nicely."

The older Uchiha raised a surprised eyebrow, "Is that so?"

Itachi clenched his jaw. Why was he playing games with the girl? He already knew what happened. He had probably seen it in when he pried into her head.

Deidara who initially was by Itachi's side was now inspecting the room. He stopped by a tall vase. He looked at it with very appreciative eyes. Extending his hand, he touched it. His stomach twisted uncomfortably as the great piece of porcelain fell into the floor.

"Sorry."

No one bothered to look at him.

"Sakura." Madara smiled a reassuring smile, making her squirm uncomfortably on her seat, "You are one of us now. A comrade. If someone raises a single hand toward you, make sure you have someone to break it for you."

Sakura nodded quietly, not sure what to make of his words.

"Orochimaru has already been punished." Itachi spoke quietly, almost bored with the whole situation.

Madara nodded in satisfaction, "Now Sakura. You must be very curious as to why we brought you here."

Sakura finally raised her head and stared straight into his red eyes, "You want me to seal the Kyuubi inside you…I won't do it."

The room fell into a deep silence. Madara raised an impressed eyebrow. Itachi merely looked at her from the corner of his eyes. This girl really was something else.

Deidara dropped the small pieces he was trying to pull together and stared at the pink-haired girl, a wide smile plastered on his features. Finally things were about to get more interesting.

* * *

Sakura stared through the window at the heavy rain. Infinite droplets crashed against the glass. She hated the rain. She hated it so much. It made her feel depressed and being inside was not helping at all. The Rain Country was so much different from Konoha. There were extreme tall buildings, every single one of them made of different parts of steel.

A country devastated by war. Steel was the most quickest and easy architecture to work with. She could hear voices arguing in the other room. Hidan and Kakuzu were having one of their usual arguments. Religion vs Money.

"The Shinobi world was once a single nation."

The pink-haired girl eyes widened at the sound of his voice. Still she continued to face the window and quietly waited for him to carry on.

"When interests started to collide, different parts decided to become independent. It was right here in the Rain Country where the nation was divided." Itachi leaned against the wall, crossed his arms around his chest, "Years later it became the primary stage of war. The other countries couldn't care less that they were destroying other people's home."

Sakura closed her eyes for some slight seconds as the screams of war played inside her mind.

"The Country of Fire became greedy. It started to grow interested in the tailed-beasts." Itachi words cut the air like a sharp knife.

Sakura slowly looked up at him, for the first time in two weeks she was able to look directly at his eyes without flinch, "I remember the time the other countries would turn to us for help." Sakura spoke softly and tenderly, "We never wanted to play the game of war, unless it was strictly necessary…"

"It must have been nice to grow up in a fairy-tale world." Itachi raised an inquiring eyebrow.

Sakura snorted, "There's no such thing as a fairy-tale. I don't think that Itachi from my world would see it as a fairy-tale."

Itachi was now completely interested, "Itachi from your world? Care to elaborate?"

"Itachi."

Both Itachi and Sakura were completely startled with the new arrival. They stared up at the blue-skinned man. It seemed as if he was ready to go somewhere. He was carrying his sword in his right hand. On his left hand, he held a small traveling bag.

"We have a mission." He jerked his head toward the medic and smiled, "Go pack and bring some of your healing stuff with you."

Sakura was somewhat hesitant but complied. Itachi watched her leave, her words made him curious, thirsty for more.

"What is this about?" Itachi asked somewhat upset.

"Konan." Kisame adjusted his larege sword into a more comfortable position, "Seems like some bastards are on her tail."

"Hn."

* * *

"P-p-please…" the girl cried softly as he ran his bloodied hands through her thin naked torso, "p-please…d-don't…"

All those insignificant pleas disgusted him. It made him want to puke. They were like cockroaches crawling under his feet, waiting for the final blow. He was merciful. He would put an end to their misery.

"Please?" Naruto asked as he smirked at the defenseless girl, "Please won't do." He leaned forward, jerking her head to the side so he could have full access to her naked neck.

Screams echoed into the mansion, cuddling every single habitant to sleep.

* * *

_A/N: Ahhhhhhhh! Naruto is creepy. LOL_

_Uffffff. So I have updated. Your thoughts? I tried to give more emphasis to Sakura's surroundings and then her meeting with Madara… well let's say my brain couldn't come up with anything better. Uhm… the thing with Hinata and the other girls was done to make their evilness stand out. Hehe._


	8. The Village

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything you might recognize.**

* * *

Upside Down

By Creidhe

* * *

"Has anyone seen the fucking milk?" Hidan asked as he pulled the fridge door open. He glared at its contents clearly not pleased with he was looking at. Deidara stepped into the room, walked toward the enormous rectangular table and took a seat. He smirked as he looked at the red-haired man by his side. Sasori rolled his eyes in sheer annoyance. He stared at the fruit bowl and wondered absent-mindedly what it tasted like. He extended a wooden arm, stretched his fingers and closed his hand around an apple. He analyzed it at the same time Deidara analyzed him.

"Seriously." Hidan started as he closed the fridge's door, "Where is the milk?"

"Sasori-danna," said Deidara as he leaned forward, his piercing blue eye never leaving the red-haired wooden figure, "Where is that big shell of yours?"

Sasori's eye twitched slightly, "It's not a shell." He answered with a calm voice, "It's a puppet."

Deidara smirked knowingly, "It looks more like a shell to me." He paused, watching as Sasori placed the apple down, "You know… just like… turtles." The blonde-haired shrugged his shoulders, grabbed the apple and took a bite.

Hidan cursed loudly, threatened to kill whoever drank the milk and muttered something about complaining to Kakuzu.

The kitchen's door was suddenly yanked open. The three men stared at the furious dark-haired male. Sasori would have arched a perfect eye brow, but his expression remained the same bored one despite the animosity spuing from the dreaded Uchiha. Deidara on the other hand, smirked visibly, hoping that he got to see something interesting happen. Hidan leaned back on the chair, "Forget it, Uchiha. We're out of milk."

Sasuke delivered an 'why-don't-you-die' expression at the white-haired man. He then directed his gaze at Deidara, "Where is she?" no one missed the strong demanding hint to his question.

Deidara took another bite of his apple. He then smirked, "What, worrying over the princess?" The fierce glare Sasuke gave him was not enough to wipe Deidara's smirk off his face.

Sasori sighed, "The girl went with Kisame and your brother on a mission." He supplied before an argument or worse, a fight could break.

Sasuke straightened himself. His eyes widened slightly, "What mission?" He asked, feeling rather upset that no one bothered to tell him anything. Especially, knowing that she was with his older brother… it was somewhat disconcerting.

"What is going on?"

Sasuke turned around making sure to bump against the snake-man shoulder on purpose. Orochimaru simply arched an amused eyebrow as he stood at the doorway, watching as the Uchiha walked away.

Hidan turned to look at the Snake Sannin, "You! Did you drink all the milk?" He asked, pushing his chair behind and raising to Orochimaru's level.

* * *

She eyed the kunai, its blade steady as it pointed towards her. He gripped the hilt in both hands, holding it so that the blade was tilted slightly, presumably so that it might be quicker to slash her throat out if he so chose. She let her eyes travel to the man holding it.

"I missed you too." She said staring directly into his eyes.

He was wearing the same jeer expression on his face, "You certainly took your time, woman."

She hated being called 'woman'. "Is this how you decide to greet me after all this time?" her eyes rolled, momentarily looking away from him. She gasped slightly when suddenly he was right on top of her. He had grabbed her by the front of her tunic. He held the blade of his kunai dangerously close to her neck, and looked at her closely.

"You look extremely happy, Ino." He sneered, "To think that you actually survived all this time without being killed or even suspected… it baffles me away." He saw she was taken aback at that and smirked.

"Let me go." She replied, gritting her teeth together. She struggled to free herself from his grip and gave one anxious look up at the other still figure, "Chouji…" she whispered softly, and disappointed that he would not stop it.

Chouji returned Ino's look impassively, "Let's just hurry up."

Shikamaru sighed, "Man… I was looking for some fun." He slowly let her go, "Whatever." He added, shoving his kunai into his holster.

Ino straightened herself and glared at him, "Just wait—"

"What?" Shikamaru leered, "Going to tell on me? We aren't eight anymore, Yamanaka."

She bit her lip in order not to explode as she turned her back on them. She walked up the stairs feeling extremely comfortable as she took in the air of the mansion. She inhaled deeply as an extreme relief washed over her entire being. It was as if she had been freed from a cage and was now flying high in the sky. She could hear their footsteps behind her. Even though she would never admit it, she kind of missed them.

The sound of a door closing with a bang echoed into the mansion. Ino came to an abrupt stop as she looked behind her shoulder. Her cerulean eyes widened as she stared at Hinata. Shikamaru too looked behind his shoulder, his hands deep in his pockets. Chouji snorted lightly before he erupted into sheer laugher.

"Hinata." Ino voice was cool and collected. She completely turned around to stare at the Hyuga girl.

Hinata looked slightly taken back. Her lavander eyes darted from Ino toward a laughing chouji and vice versa. She raised her chin defiantly, "Ino." She said in a very strange polite tone, "You're back."

Ino's eyes couldn't leave Hinata's purplish features. She had been beaten so bad that she couldn't even open her right eye. "Nice hair cut." Ino spat before she turned back around. Shikamaru hurried after her, raising an amused brow. Where was the loud laughing Ino she knew? Where was the girl that would not blink nor hesitate at the slighest opening to bring other people's moral down?

The blonde-haired woman turned left and stared at the elegant doors in front of her. She carried on walking until she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. She stopped and stared at Shikamaru with a wondering look on her face, "Shikam—" her voice was muffled when he pulled her against him, his lips crashing violently against hers. Ino could feel all her teeth move with the strenght of the crash.

Ino was breathless when Shikamaru finally parted. Her lips were reddish and her teeth were still vibrating with the impact. She shot him a furious glare which he returned with an arrogant grin. She finally turned around and knocked at the door.

"Enter."

A cold chill ran up and down her spine as it always did whenever she heard him speak. She turned the knob, opened the door and closed it behind her, leaving both Shikamaru and Chouji outside. She stepped in, her cerulean eyes taking a mental photograph of Naruto's provisory office. Ino bowed as she stopped in the center of the room.

"Master."

"It's about time." Naruto replied as he dropped the paper on his desk. He leaned on the back of his chair, adopting a comfortable position. His deep blue eyes stared at her, showing no readable emotion.

Ino bowed a second time, "I have excellent news." She looked up to stare at him. He cocked a doubtful eyebrow. She swallowed dry, "The girl… Haruno." She paused knowing that she had his full attention when his lips parted, "She's heading toward the Grass Country."

"Who is she with?"

"Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame."

A fist slammed down on the desk startling the blonde-haired kunoichi. Her eyes widened slightly as Naruto's lower lip quivered in absolute anger. "Why are they heading to Grass?"

Ino lowered her head, her fringe hiding her closed eyes. "I do not know, my lord."

Naruto eyes burned into Ino's figure, "You do not know." It was not a question, in fact he sounded as if he was talking to himself.

"I'm sorry." Ino apologized, "I do not know. I tried m-m-my best." She winced. She hated him. She hated the way he made her tremble like that.

The blonde-haired boy slowly stood up and walked toward the center of the room, straight to Ino. He stopped in front of her, his hand cupped her chin, "Are you afraid?"

Ino fought the urge to slap his hand away, "N-no."

Naruto smirked as she stuttered, his bright blue eyes catching the smallest tremor on her lower lip, "Really?"

"Hai." Ino nodded softly.

"Liar." Naruto hissed as he brought her face closer to his. Ino's eyes widened in both surprise and fear. "You know what I do to liars?"

Ino tried to speak but the fierce slap across her face cut off any intelligent thought. Naruto lips etched into a Machiavellian smile as blood started to run from her lower lip down to her chin. "Are you scared?" He asked, grabbing her by the collar, bringing her closer to him. Ino's nose twisted at the heavy scent of alcohol coming from his mouth.

"N-Naruto…" she whimpered softly as she closed her eyes tightly waiting for the next blow to hit her.

"I think you proved your point." Shikamaru voice boomed into her ears making her stomach revolve. Ino opened her eyes. The dark-haired male was holding Naruto's hand. "We do not want her undercover to be discovered, do we?" He asked sneering, "What will the Akatsuki think if she returns marked?"

Naruto let go of the blonde-haired kunoichi and yanked his wrist away from Shikamaru's grip. "I want more." He groaned, "I want to know why the hell they are heading toward Grass. What's in Grass that's so important?" He walked back to his desk and in a moment of pure anger he kicked the desk making it fly across the room toward the wall. "Pay attention to your surroundings! Bend in! Be their friend, lover, I don't fucking care."

Ino nodded. She bowed and headed for the door. Shikamaru's sneer disappeared from his face as he followed the girl out of the office. Chouji stood in the hallway, leaning against the wall. He arched a curious brow as Ino wiped the blood away.

Shikamaru shrugged slightly, "Troublesome woman."

Chouji rolled his eyes as Ino started to tremble. She walked slowly through the corridor, her hands closing into fists, her nails digging into her flesh. She inhaled deeply trying to calm down her erratic heartbeat. Back in the office she had felt like someone had been strangling her.

"Is she okay?" Chouji asked cocking a brow, "Hey." He called out for her, "You're not going to cry, are you?"

* * *

Sakura groaned lightly as she allowed her bag to fall into the grass. She wiped the sweat running down her forehead with her arm and arched an amused brow as she stared at Kisame's hunched figure. He seemed to be looking for something in the bushes. Itachi dropped his belongings and snorted, "Trust me. You'll get used to it."

Kisame leaned forward, his head disappearing into the mass of leaves. He stretched an arm and let out a small victory cry. "Gotcha!" He exclaimed, falling behind, revealing a white rabbit. He turned around and grinned, "I got us a fine dinner."

Itachi bent over his bag and took a long kunai knife, "You cook it then."

Sakura found herself shaking her head as Kisame broke the rabbit neck, "Fine." He muttered dropping the rabbit.

"I'll gather some wood." Sakura supplied, smiling softly.

Kisame grinned widely, "Ah Sakura-chan, thank you. It's good to know that at least someone will be useless around here." Sakura cheeks warmed up at the blue-skinned man little comment that was clearly directed at the other male.

Itachi pushed his things toward the tallest tree and made himself comfortable as he sat down, leaning his back into the strong trunk. He pressed his lips shut as his dark eyes stared at the withdrawing pink-haired medic-nin. She walked with confidence, more at ease being around them. Yet, her features always gave him the impression that she was looking at something else. It was as if she was lost in her own thoughts, in another world that only she could see. He watched as she crouched down picking some wood to the fire. The way she pushed her pink brows together and her lips subtly formed a pout of some sorts was enchanting him. He found himself wondering what it could be, what exactly she was thinking at that precise moment.

The Uchiha partner looked up as she neared and grinned, "Put those over here," and pointed at what it was he was doing. Sakura noticed the blood on his hand and on the knife blade. The rabbit's head was lolling to one side; it was partially skinned and had one foot cut off already. She twisted her nose, somewhat displeased at the bloody mess. The blue-skinned male laughed even if he was surprised by her reaction. Surely she had seen animals skinned and prepared before? "What? You never skinned an animal?"

Sakura's eyes met his, "We always took soldier pills and some provisions with us." She elaborated as she crouched down, trying to start the fire.

Kisame arched an amused brow, "That's why you're that skinny." He said pointing the bloody knife at her, "No worries, though. We'll be feeding you the right away." He then proceeded to work on the rabbit, removing the skin and the head then setting to work on gutting it. He heard a light groan as he cut into the belly to start gutting it and looked up to see she had turned away, clutching her stomach.

Itachi smirked slightly as he watched her run into the trees, hiding herself as she retched.

Sakura straightened herself and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She frowned and then made a face at the awful taste inside her mouth. "Gross." She whispered as she made her way back to the clearing.

Kisame raised his eyes to stare at the pink-haired girl, "That wasn't very medic-nin like." His lips etched forming a wicked smile allowing Sakura an excellent view to his sharp teeth.

Itachi coughed lightly, "Are you sure she's a medic-nin?" He questioned as he fixed his eyes on her pale features drinking in the bewildered look she offered him. Her lips parted, she seemed unsure of what to say.

The kunoichi swallowed dry, "I am a medic-nin." She spoke as soon as she found her voice, "I trained and learned with the very best." Sakura narrowed her brows in frustration as Itachi smirked at her response. She stared up at him and then shook her head, giving him a look of loathing. "Whatever." The Uchiha was getting to her nerves.

Kisame laughed as he looked up at her annoyed features. This girl was something else. He could tell that he was going to have fun watching her. "Don't let him get to you." He said as he moved the rabbit around into the fire, "He taunts people for self amusement."

Sakura took a deep breath. There she was in the middle of the woods with two Akatsuki, S-class criminals. She shook her head softly. Apparently they were not psychopath killers in this reality. Kami, every time she thought she was in a whole different world she felt as though as someone had just hit her hard in the head, damaging her brain.

"Dinner's served." Kisame said as he snapped his fingers over the fire. Sakura watched in awe as small quantity of water appeared out of thin air, extinguishing the orange-reddish flames.

The Uchiha snorted and closed his eyes. He had no intentions of eating that rabbit.

Sakura hesitantly approached the swordsman and sat by his side. Kisame handed out a piece of meat and smiled down at her, "Go ahead, bony." Sakura shot her a feigned glare as she accepted it.

The blue-skinned man waited for her to take the first bite. Sakura eyed the piece of meat, her nostrils flaring up at the heavenly scent. She gulped as her stomach groaned excitedly. Licking her lips first, she finally took the piece of meat to her mouth. Kisame leaned forward, "Well?"

"It's…" Sakura continued to chew as the meat flavor ran inside her mouth, down her throat and straight to her content stomach, "really gooood."

"Of course." Kisame said approving of her choice of words and then he too took a bite into his masterpiece. "You sure you don't want any?" He then asked, turning to look at the sitting Uchiha, getting a slight groan as response, "His loss." Kisame muttered as he looked back at the finger-licking Sakura.

* * *

The wind gusted across the dusty fields, blowing up dust clouds to annoy the peasants working in them to eke out an existence. Some ten miles to the east lay the sprawling complex of ruins and reclaimed buildings where the ostensive masters and landlords of these peasants lived. It was simple relationship between the peasants and the monks; the peasants gave over a portion of their gather and the monks agreed not to proselytize amongst the villagers. It was one of those times in the year when the peasants seemed to spend whole weeks doing nothing but tending the fields.

They were preparing to pack up and leave the fields for the day, the sun beginning to set and the day fading into early afternoon. The wind had picked up sharply and was picking up the dust from the fields when one of the older children called out, pointing towards the road. The gusting wind whipped the cloaks of the travelers walking slowly along the path.

"They're here." A tall muscular boy said as his hands gripped tighter into the shovel he was carrying. His deep honey eyes seemed to sparkle at the sight of the familiar and popular coats. He excused himself, dropping the working tool on the dirt.

Several villagers started to gather around the three figures. Sakura clumsily walked into her left, her shoulder brushing slightly into the dark-haired male. He eyed her by the corner of his eyes. She seemed startled, scared even at their reaction. The pink-haired girl held her breath as several peasants gathered around, their dirty faces looking back at them... with hope. That was something she never thought she would ever see. She was used to have them run around, find some shelter and only come back when their home was destroyed, their family dead.

"Akatsuki… you are here… just like she said you would." The tall muscular boy said as he approached them.

Kisame took a step forward. Sakura bit her lip hard. Itachi looked around taking a mental photograph on his surroundings.

"You're the one who sent us that message?" Kisame asked, stopping in front of the boy. Sakura could tell that even though the boy seemed happy to see them, he looked somewhat uneasy. Who wouldn't feel uneasy when a blue-skinned man carries a huge sword on his back?

The boy nodded slightly, "Follow me."

Kisame looked over his shoulder. Sakura nodded softly and stepped forward. Itachi silently followed after her. He shut his eyes for a brief moment and when he reopened them again they were bloodied red.

"We're being followed." He said ever so subtly.

A cold chill ran up and down Sakura's spine.

Kisame chuckled, "This is going to be fun."

* * *

A/N: I don't want to rush things between everyone. Here's a try at Sakura, Itachi and Kisame's bonding. Your thoughts? Was it any good or an epic fail? You decide.


	9. Arising Suspicions

Upside Down

By Creidhe

* * *

**Arising Suspicions**

* * *

Stars glittered across the night sky and the moon spilt light, illuminating the trees below - turning leaves a glistening silver. She could smell the intense scent of blood that floated in the air. In other circumstances, she would have found that scent highly appealing, but not now. Not when she was bleeding her life's supply of blood away. Her mind was getting hazy, she felt dizzy making her sight distorted.

Sakura's eyes suddenly opened wide and round as if startled. She began to cough violently; her body became tense and taut. Then, struggling for air, she lurched forward, flailing her arms and stretching her fingers toward the darkness. At last, she sucked a wheezing breath, only to bend forward and spew blood across the patched quilt.

"I'll be right there with you."

A cold chill ran up and down Sakura's spine as the unknown voice reached her. She tried to move, but her strengths abandoned her completely, leaving her lying there.

"Who is t-t-there?" She stuttered as she tried to focus on her surroundings. A cold shiver licked her spine and she started to feel completely hopeless as she began to quiver.

"It's alright, dear." The voice spoke louder this time, allowing the pink-haired girl to notice that it belonged to a female voice, "We're waiting for the medic to arrive. I'm afraid the effect of the medicine I gave you is running out." She spoke softly as she smiled down at the young girl.

Sakura inhaled deeply as she tried to focus her blurred sight, forcing herself to see the shape of the voice owner in the darkness of the night, "Where am I?" she asked quietly, listening to her erratic heartbeat and to her pounding pulsation running through her bloodstream.

"Please try not to move or talk." The female voice spoke softly, "We are waiting here for help to arrive."

"Help?" Sakura asked as she furrowed her brows together, "Where are we? Where is everyone? NARU-" She stopped all of a sudden as a sharp pain took place on her left side. She quickly placed her hand on her side, gasping as her fingers ran through her still open wound. She could feel something creamy over her flesh, some kind of mixture made with healing herbs. She swallowed dry when she realized that she needed to have that wound closed as soon as possible or that she was going to die.

"I told you not to move." Sakura blinked quietly as she stared at the soft green eyes of an old lady.

"I need to close it." Sakura whispered feebly, "I need to… close it." She repeated, focusing on her limited chakra.

The old lady stared down at the pink-haired girl with deep worry. "It's alright. Everything will work out." She smiled weakly and then looked over her shoulder. Her eyes widened in absolute horror as she stared at the tall moving bushes. Her lips slowly parted when she raised her gaze toward the cloaked figures.

"Who is it?" Sakura asked quietly as she stared at the dark sky. She could feel her heart squeeze tightly when the old lady did not answer her. Somehow, she could feel that something was wrong. "Hey…old geezer. W-w-who is it?"

The old lady waved her hand at Sakura, telling her to stay quiet. "Please… we're just camping here f-for the night."

Sakura eyes widened at that. Who was it? Some bandits? She cursed her luck. Where the hell were Naruto and the others? Her heart skipped a beat. Deserted. Had they simply let her die on the battlefield? She tried to focus but tears prickled her eyes, blurring her sight further. She knew that was meant to happen sooner or later. She was after all weak and talentless. A burden.

Both men arched identical amused brows as the old lady adopted a defensive position toward the lying body next to her. "Then you won't mind if we camp with you." A raspy male voice replied, sending cold shivers down Sakura's spine.

She knew that voice. Damn it, she would recognize that voice in the middle of a yelling crowd. The damned voice belonged to the very same man that gave her that wound.

The blue-skinned man lips etched into a wide smirk as he looked at the old lady's wrinkled face. She looked completely mortified.

"She better have some food." An unknown male voice spoke. It sounded bad-tempered and impatient, "Obaa-san, won't you share some food with us?"

Sakura inhaled deeply and tried to focus on her irregular breathing instead. Maybe with some luck… they wouldn't recognize her.

"I'm sorry." The old lady apologized, "But there isn't-"

The pink-haired girl gasped in horror as particles of blood fell down on her chest, neck and her face. "N-No…" she whispered as the old lady body fell limp by her side.

"Kisame." Her eyes widened as she raised her gaze toward the standing figure, "Look at what we have here."

Kisame took five long steps to cover the distance. His eyes widened slightly as he looked down at the medic-nin. "You're alive." He said simply, his tone of voice showing a little of surprise.

Sakura coughed lightly and then gathered all of her strengths to glare furiously at him. She earned a wide grin; a perfect view to Kisame's sharpened teeth.

"Tsk Tsk." Kisame muttered as he crouched next to her, poking her wound, making her scream in agony.

The other cloaked man groaned slightly, "Could you keep it down?" he asked in exasperation, "My fucking head hurts."

Kisame tilted his head to the side as he locked his eyes with the pink-haired girl. The breath was knocked out off him for some brief seconds as he saw pure hate swim in her bright green orbs. His cunning smile disappeared as he lowered himself down, his face mere inches away from hers, "Who are you?"

However, right before Sakura could answer, everything started to blur, swirl, and twirl, until she couldn't see anything except complete darkness.

* * *

Itachi took a deep breath as the pink-haired girl straightened herself. She had an extreme look of worry plastered all over her pale features. He increased his pace and placed himself by her right side. "Stop it." He said subtly as he glanced at her sideways. Sakura cocked her head to look at him and blinked softly, "You are acting too obvious." He told her as he directed his gaze toward Kisame's back.

Sakura inhaled deeply as she fought the urge to look behind her shoulder. The fact that those two could tell immediately that they were being followed was unsettling her beyond limits. Where was he? East? North? She groaned inwardly as she returned her gaze back to Kisame and the boy that was leading them.

Itachi raised an amused eyebrow as the medic-nin furrowed her brows in frustration. He took in the small wrinkles that formed on her large forehead and smirked discreetly, "He's to the east." He spoke in a low tone, watching in sheer amusement as she snapped her head back toward him. Her rosy lips fell apart, glistening. His bloodied eyes became more defined. He waited silently for her to speak up as a strange sensation began to swim inside his mouth. He found his lips becoming extremely dry. He mentally slapped himself from his reverie as her lips finally began to move.

"I… I know that." She said giving him an angry look before she started to walk away, closing the distance between her and Kisame.

The blue-skinned man looked down at Sakura and offered her a wide grin. Sakura found herself smiling back at him. "This is it." The boy said as he stopped in front of a very small house. Sakura blinked softly as she took in the awful condition those people lived in. It was not only the boy's house but the entire village.

Sakura looked back at the cloaked figures, "Why?" she asked in a heartbreaking tone. The Grass country… she had been here before on a mission. She remembered to see the children laughing, running through the streets enjoying the freedom of the world. The freedom for their homes. Tears gathered at the corner of her eyes as she stepped inside, walking through the entrance which had no door. Both Hoshigaki and Uchiha stared straight ahead, ignoring the awful empty house.

The young boy turned to the left, leading them to a small room. Sakura eyes widened as she stared at the sleeping bag, her green eyes reflected the blue-haired woman bloodied and swollen features. Kisame placed his sword down and kneeled next to the sleeping Konan. "Sakura."

He didn't need to say another word. Sakura kneeled down by Konan's other side, facing Kisame. She gulped at the awful amount of deep and infected cuts on the blue-haired woman face. The wounds had a nasty aspect as the dry blood was becoming yellowish. The medic-nin took a deep breath and pulled sleeves up, "I'm going to need a bowl of clean and warm water."

The boy nodded and scurried of the room to attend to the pink-haired girl request. Itachi leaned his back against the wall with an unreadable expression on his tanned features. He crossed his arms above his chest, locking his eyes on the medic-nin. He pressed his lips shut as he scrutinized her. The hardened look on her face, the way her beautiful jaded-green eyes sparkled with a fierce determination winded him. She meant business. Her hands instantly glowed green and for a moment all he could hear was her irregular breathing and the soft humming of the green chakra. The scene itself was absorbing if not a bit unsettling, but Uchiha Itachi did not allow the world to know he thought this. Instead, he raised a bored eyebrow ever so slightly, to show his mild distaste for – for pretty much everyone and everything going on around him.

Sakura gasped loudly at the same time the boy arrived with the bowl of water. Both Itachi and Kisame looked slightly worried, "What is it?" Kisame asked.

"It's her throat…" Sakura bit her lip, "I can't… I can't heal her vocal cords."

"What do you mean?" Kisame asked as he gazed at Konan's sleeping features.

"I can't heal what's not there." Sakura hissed as she moved her hands toward Konan's broken ribs. Itachi eyes widened slightly. Kisame looked absolutely puzzled. "Would you please attend to the cuts on her face?" Sakura asked Kisame nudging her head toward the bowl. Kisame did not move. He simply looked down at Konan's face with an unreadable expression.

Itachi groaned as he sat down, taking the bowl into his hands. He stared at the dusty piece of cloth the boy offered him and threw it away. He ripped part of his sleeve and soaked it wet. He then quietly touched the large cut on her forehead, blinking slightly as Konan's eyes were suddenly wide open. She stared directly at him and opened her mouth.

Sakura's stomach dropped as she stared at Konan's inconsolable expression when no excruciating sound escaped her lips. Kisame clenched his jaw as he brought his arms toward Konan's to keep her steady.

Konan continued to stare intently at Itachi as though she was looking at a ghost. Her eyes were wide with panic and despair. She moved and kicked her legs about. Sakura groaned as she healed Konan's last broken rib. "Done." She whispered softly, relieved that Konan's wounds weren't life-threatening as she had previously thought.

"Whoever did this is going to fucking die." Kisame hissed and clenched his jaw as he slowly stood up. He walked toward his sword, picked it up and exited the room.

Sakura was still kneeling down next to Konan, her green eyes followed the blue-haired woman troubled gaze. Itachi looked back at Konan, his red eyes stared into hers as he adopted a bored expression. Sakura felt her heart skip a beat as something kept nudging at the back of her mind. Why was Konan looking at him in that way?

As if sensing her gaze, Itachi slowly looked away from Konan. His flaming gaze stared at Sakura and then the corner of his lips etched into a twisted smile. A shiver rippled through her body at the smile on his face. "I know what you are thinking." Itachi said as he placed the bowl of water down, never once breaking his gaze away from her.

She shifted uncomfortable as the oxygen of the room seemed to have come to an end. She stared back at his steady gaze, his twisted smile still carved inside her mind. She gulped inaudible, "What?" she asked, struggling to keep her voice secure. She arched a perfect eyebrow and adopted an air of indifference. "What am I thinking?" she asked as she slowly looked over Konan's horrified features. The blue-haired woman had stopped struggling and was just staring back at Itachi the entire time.

Itachi smirked and said nothing. With a small movement he was on his feet, staring down at both women. He readjusted his coat and then exited the room without glancing at neither of them one last time.

Only then Sakura allowed her to sigh in relief. She felt like the weight of the world was crushing her down. She scurried closer to Konan, brushing her fingers through Konan's bloodied and dirty hair. Sakura was slightly taken back when Konan's eyes met hers. She couldn't shrug the feeling that she was drowning in them, drinking in the other woman's despair. Her heart was pounding so strongly that she could even hear it. Konan opened her mouth. Sakura's eyes widened as the blue-haired woman mouthed the words, 'Help me.'

* * *

Ino stepped inside the headquarters, finding it extremely quiet. She raised a suspicious brow as she started to walk down the corridor. Normally, she would be greeted by Hidan's foul language since the white-haired man was screaming and cursing most of the time. She clenched her hand to her chest, trying to calm down her erratic heartbeat. They never had noticed her absence before, so it was okay. 'It's okay… It's okay…' she repeated over and over again with every step.

She jumped startled as she heard a door close with a bang in the distance. She swallowed dry and resumed to walk again.

"And she walks like a thief in a silent night."

Ino's cerulean eyes widened as the familiar voice came from behind her. She slowly looked over her shoulder, taking in his new appearance. "Sasori-sama." Ino replied politely as her heart reverberated like one thousand of drums playing at the same time.

The red-haired Akatsuki leaned against the door frame, his eyes set on the small book he carried in his hand. "The last temptation is the greatest treason: to do the right deed for the wrong reason." Sasori slowly darted his eyes away from the page he was reading toward Ino, "Are you tipping them off?"

Ino lips parted in shock. She stood there for what seemed to be a painful eternity. "What are you talking about?" she asked as she waved a hand in mid-air. Pause. "I'm going to take a long shower." She added offering him a sweet smile.

An inhuman smile flashed across his face when the blonde-haired girl suddenly gasped. She tried to move but not a single part of her body obeyed her. "Sasori-sama?" she asked quietly, her voice barely a whisper.

Sasori moved his chakra strings, making her fully turn around to face him. He watched her swallow dry and smirked, "Why don't we try again?" He asked as he controlled the chakra strings, moving them, making her walk toward him.

Ino glared fiercely at him, "You are being ridiculous." She hissed as she tried to struggle against his chakra strings.

"Am I?" he asked as he licked his lips. He stopped her right in front of him, enjoying the way her chest heaved back and forth. "Are you nervous?" he asked as he shot her an unreadable expression.

She groaned as she stopped just a few inches away from the red-haired male. "Why would I be nervous?" she asked narrowing her eyes. She pressed her lips shut and looked at him, depriving her face from any visible emotion.

"Are you tipping them?" he asked again, going straight to the point.

"Tipping them?" Ino asked, arching a confused brow, "Tipping who?"

Sasori smiled and took a step forward, closing entirely the little distance between them. He snaked a wooden arm around her slender waist, pulling her closer. Ino gasped when her chest touched his. He leaned forward, almost in slow motion, taunting her. The red-haired male placed his mouth near her right ear, "Wrong answer."

"What is going—" Kakashi stopped all of a sudden, his uncovered eye stared with interest at both Sasori and Ino, "Oh… am I interrupting?" he asked, his tone filled with amusement.

Sasori slowly backed away, releasing his hold on her. A loud relieving sigh escaped the blonde-haired girl lips as she stepped backwards. She stopped as she felt her back hit something soft. Kakashi placed a quiet hand on the top of her hand, staring at the puppet master.

"No." Sasori replied with a bored tone, "You didn't interrupt anything at all." The red-haired responded at the same time he turned his back on them. He walked down the corridor with a small smile playing at the corner of his lips, lowering his eyes toward the pages of his book.

Ino took a deep breath as Kakashi retrieved his hand. "He knows." Kakashi whispered as watched the Akatsuki member walk away. Ino shivered as a cold feeling travelled up and down her spine. "You know what to do."

Kakashi lowered his eye to stare at the blonde-haired girl. She looked extremely pale as if she was going to throw up any time soon.

"I'll take care of him." Ino said as she narrowed her eyes, a glint of determination crossed her blue eyes. Still, that look was not enough to convince the silver-haired nin.

* * *

Kisame readjusted Samehade as he stared at the curious villagers. A large crowd had gathered around the young boy's house to take a look at the famous Akatsuki. He cursed under his breath and then cocked his head toward his right. His big round eyes caught his silhouette just in time, right before their follower dived into the crowd.

Itachi positioned himself next to Kisame. "We should have killed him while we had the chance." He spoke in a cold deep voice as his red eyes scrutinized the crowd.

Kisame nodded quietly, "And it looks like he brought a few friends with him."

"Aha. Cockroaches… there's never just one of them." Itachi replied as he locked his sharingan with a pair of activated Byakugan.

The swooshing sound of something sharp cutting through the air was not unnoticed by the blue-skinned man. With a swift movement, Kisame swung his sword at his right and used it as a shield. Several shuriken fell into the floor, the sound of metal alarming the watching crowd.

Kisame arched a disappointed brow as he stared at his attacker.

"Yosh!" A man dressed in a green jumpsuit jumped forward. A wide grin decorated his features as he contemplated the two Akatsuki members, "Remember kids! This should be a piece of cake!"

"Yossssh! Guy-sensei! By the power of youth!"

"That's right Lee!"

Kisame skimmed his feet into a battle position. Itachi remained in his place, a cool and endearing aura revolving around him.

Inside the house, Sakura bit into her lip as she watched the blue-haired woman scribble into the paper. Konan's hand was trembling slightly, making her furrow her brows in deep frustration. Sakura's stomach fluttered uncomfortably. She wasn't sure if she wanted to read it. The hair of the back of her hair slowly rose as she heard the crowd outside go wild. There were screams and it sounded like people were running. Sakura blinked softly as something sharp flew past her right cheek. It scratched her delicate skin, enough to draw blood.

Sakura looked up at the door of the room.

"Sakura."

Konan's eyes widened slightly. Her jaw dropped. She tried to say something; tears prickled her eyes when the reality slapped her hard for the one hundredth time since she woke up.

"What's the matter, Konan-chan? The cat got your tongue?"

Sakura pushed herself upwards, glaring intently at the other female.

"TenTen." Sakura spoke very quietly, clenching her hands into fists.

* * *

Sasori looked away from the window as his ears perked up at the sound of his doorknob. He stared at his door, a bored look plastered all over his face. His dark room was illuminated as the door slowly opened, revealing the blonde-haired girl.

"You came all by yourself?" The red-haired asked, arching a surprised brow.

Ino's lips etched into a dark smirk, "No."

Kakashi appeared behind Ino and waved a hand, "Yo."

Sasori smirked as he stared at the two of them.

"This is going to be fun, yeah."

Ino's eyes widened as she jerked her head toward the furthest corner of the room, spotting the blond Akatsuki. He was sitting on top of the large armoire, crossing his arms over his chest.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah. I have been away preparing to my finals so I apologize to everyone who has been waiting for this chapter. I also hope that I do not disappoint you all. So yeah! Fighting scenes coming up next. Oh the JOY! ~Facepalms~ Let's see how that goes. Hehe. Anyway, oppinions are highly welcome. **

**I was going to send this chapter to my Beta but I'm afraid I won't have too much time on the internet until the finals of doom are over. ~So I'll edit it later. Ja ne! **

**Ps. Oh wish me luck on my finals. PRAY for me people.**


	10. A bloodthirsty Sakura

Upside Down

By Creidhe

* * *

**A Bloodthirsty Sakura**

* * *

Tenten straightened herself, boring her eyes into Sakura's green orbs. Her lower lip quivered faintly as her heart raced abnormally fast. This pink-haired girl… although she did look exactly like Sakura… the way her green eyes sparkled furiously at her was beyond any comparison. The Sakura she knew always had a murderous aura revolving around her. But those sparkles were unsettling. It was something that she had never encountered before. The sparkle in this Sakura's eyes had a message carved in it, a deadly message that the pink-haired girl wanted to deliver. "Ah!" Tenten exclaimed as she held tightly into the silver kunai she was holding, "I always give my best." Her eyes grew wider when Sakura smirked at her.

"Then you don't have to worry." Sakura raised a defiant brow, "I can smell your fear. It's infecting the entire room." It was okay, really. She could do this. Because… even if Sakura had no idea what Tenten is capable of… the same goes for Tenten. So they were on equal foot. Sakura cracked her knuckles and then loosened her shoulders. "Ready?"

Tenten did not respond. Sakura's eyes caught the sight of several flying kunai knives toward her. She jumped backwards, twisted her torso to the right and crouched down. The medic-nin quickly straightened up. The hair of the back of her neck slowly stood up as she felt a hot wind caress her features. Glancing sideways, she opened her lips in surprise as Tenten fist collided with her chin. Groaning, Sakura stumbled backwards; her right leg skidded along the floor, preventing her from falling down.

Konan's eyes widened. She tried to move but her body did not respond to her request. She sat on the middle of the floor, eyes stuck on the two females. Her stomach fluttered with a sick feeling as the pink-haired nin was hit. A cold feeling followed right after, licking her spine up and down as the pink-haired girl fought back.

And she was amazing.

Sakura took a step forward as Tenten jumped at her, kunai ready in hand. She blocked Tenten's arm, furrowing her brows together, Sakura focused on Tenten's chakra points. She slapped the other girl's arm away, crushing and straining to listen to its bone snap. Losing no time, Sakura hurried and punched her in the mouth with her left fist, the nose with her left and again in the cheekbone with her right.

It felt wrong. Her heart skipped a beat as she felt seemingly satisfied to watch the red liquid plastered all over Tenten's features.

Tenten immediately retreated. She felt her own heart pounding against her face. The pain of her broken arm was nothing compared with the brutality she was hit with. She stared over Sakura, her eyes wide with horror. She could feel dizziness take over her body but she stood her ground. With her good arm, she wiped the blood out of her face with her white sleeve.

"Okay." Tenten said as she tried to calm down her erratic heartbeat, "I would never guess I would have to play my hidden cards."

Sakura's expression remained blank as she stared back at Tenten. "Let's just get this over with." Her voice was croaky. She darted her eyes away from Tenten's bloodied face. An awful sensation of guilt was starting to spread through her entire being. Sakura kept trying to tell herself that Tenten was the enemy, but it was useless. The guilt was clawing at her insides like a damned parasite.

Tenten smirked. She would have to keep her distance from the pink-haired girl. She shoved her hand down on her waist holster, "Heh. I should have done this from the start." She spoke, sounding somewhat disappointed with herself, "Oh well."

Sakura's eyes widened as she stared at the small paper bags Tenten held in her hand. What happened next seemed to happen in a painful slow motion. As soon as the papers fell down, the entire room was immersed in a thick grey smoke. At that very moment, Sakura's heart stopped. She snapped her head to the left as she heard a whooshing noise come right at her. A loud scream erupted into the room as she felt sharp metal dig inside her flesh. She held onto her right leg, her hand trembled as she tried to pull out the several shuriken.

"How did you like that?" Tenten's voice echoed into the room, there was a mocking tone present in her voice.

Sakura jerked her head toward the sound of her voice, narrowing her eyes at the grey smoke. She could feel her eyes become watery because of the smoke. She tried to focus her sight but it was useless. "Coward." Sakura hissed as she set herself straight. Tenten giggled. Sakura groaned. Konan's eyes prickled with renewed tears as the smoke damaged her vision.

Tenten readjusted her goggles and smirked as she ran towards the pink-haired girl. She brought her good arm upward and slashed it at Sakura, enjoying and laughing with joy as the tip of her kunai became bright red.

Sakura let out a shriek of pain, her right hand clutched to her right side as Tenten's laugher echoed into the room.

* * *

Kisame flicked his eyes toward the two green-clothed males. On another occasion, he would find the time and the patience to stop and smirk, and comment on their appearance but this was not the right time. He simply stared ahead, feeling damn confident about his skills. He swung his sword, enjoying the way it cut through the wind, "Let's get it started."

"Yosh!" Gai nodded, "That's the spirit!" he exclaimed, showing off his perfect white teeth, "I can feel immense youth coming from you." Gai paused, his eyes sparkling with contentment, "Lee! Look at that man!"

"Hai Gai-sensei!" Lee leaned forward, opening his eyes as much as he could.

"That man is a worthy opponent!" Gai punched the air and gave Kisame the thumbs up, causing the blue-skinned man to blink slightly.

"Hai!"

Kisame smirked as the two of them ran at him at the same time. His eyes widened slightly at the incredible speed of those two. He gritted his teeth as he was forced to jump backwards. He then swung his sword with his left hand, blocking Gai's fierce kick. With his free hand he managed to get a hold of Lee's wrist, twisting it almost to the point of breaking it.

Lee groaned in pain. However, he was able to deliver a kick to Kisame's knee, who on his turn released his hold on Lee's wrist. Taking advantage of it, Gai didn't waste any time. He axed kicked Kisame's shoulder and then delivered a walloping jump spin crescent kick to his face knocking him to the ground.

Kisame quickly jumped to his feet, showing his two opponents the biggest grin he had to offer, "Tche." He said as he tightened his grip on his sword, "Guess I underestimated you."

Itachi clenched his jaw in sheer annoyance as Kisame fell to the ground. He stared back at the Hyuuga as he easily dodged his attacks, not bothering to deliver some of his own.

Neji snorted as he tried to attack from behind, only to have Itachi twist his torso, showing off perfect agility and flexibility. Itachi raised a cocky brow as the Hyuuga avoided his crimson orbs.

"Happy Birthday, Uchiha." Neji spoke in a harsh cold tone, his lips twisting into a sly smirk.

Itachi jumped in mid-air as several kunai knives were sent flying toward him. He smirked back at the Hyuuga, "Thank you." He replied, sounding calm and utterly bored, "What?" he asked as he suddenly disappeared, reappearing behind the Byakugan user, "No present?" Itachi snorted as he moved his arm, his hands clutching in time, getting hold of Neji's long hair.

Neji gasped, his eyes grew as he was suddenly yanked behind, a sharp pain taking place on his lower back. "Full moons are always the brightest." Neji groaned when he felt his body collide with something hard. He spat blood as he looked up at Itachi, his eyes showing off precisely how much he hated the Uchiha.

Itachi smiled at that, "That's so much better." He said as he pressed a foot on Neji's back, stopping him from standing back up, "Drop the codes and get on with it."

"Fuck you." Neji growled as the air around him seemed to become limited.

Both Itachi and Neji snapped their heads toward the yelling Gai.

"Lee!" Gai exclaimed in absolute horror as his young student fell to the floor, a pool of blood claiming the ground, an ugly contrast with the green suit.

"MY LEG!" Lee shouted as his eyes fell upon his legs, his mouth opened wide and an agonizing scream escaped his lips as he realized that his right leg had been cut in half.

"My, my." Kisame started as he stared at the mess, "Sorry about that."

Itachi looked down at Neji, "Hurry." He said strictly. He could feel Neji tremble underneath him and fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"Ugh. The eight-tailed beast has been spotted. Mast- Naruto is counting on you, Uchiha." Neji took a deep breath, feeling relieved as his lungs were filled with air.

Itachi snorted, "Next full moon?" he asked earning a quick nod from the Hyuuga. "Hn." He looked down at Neji and smirked, "I'll be there." Itachi added as he kicked Neji's face, placing him unconscious.

He looked over at Kisame. He seemed to have everything under control.

A loud scream echoed from inside the house, startling both Kisame and Itachi.

* * *

Sakura straightened herself and bit into her lower lip. She glared at an empty space. She could hear her laughter. Okay. She could do this, damn it. She was a kunoichi for crying out loud. Not just a kunoichi but one of the best kunoichi Konoha had ever seen. Hell yeah!

Her erratic heart relaxed instantly and she found herself smirking as she closed her eyes. Tche. She didn't need to see her opponent to fight. She still had her other senses. She snapped her head toward left.

Gotcha.

Sakura smiled discreetly, "Is that all you got?" she asked raising her chin defiantly.

Tenten's laughter died away as she stared at the pink-haired girl, "You want more?" Tenten asked smirking. She had direct orders from Naruto not to kill her. "I guess I can cut you some more." Tenten added as she ran toward Sakura.

The pink-haired girl bit hard into her lip as she felt a deep cut reach her arm.

Not yet.

Just like she thought. Tenten was fast and was not attacking her directly, which was a problem.

"Ah! This is all you have?" Sakura asked chuckling, "I can heal this without even lifting up a finger."

Tenten pressed her lips shut as she glared at the pink-haired girl. "Alright, you asked for it."

Sakura screamed in pain as several sharp kunai flew past her, scratching her skin. She could feel her skin tingle and the blood go down. She felt her knees wobble but pressed them further on the ground as though she was defying gravity. She smiled.

Tenten's lips trembled in pure anger. She took long steps toward the medic-nin. Sakura's heart skipped a beat. This was it. Pushing herself forward, Sakura managed to get a hold on Tenten. She smirked as she heard Tenten gasp in surprise. "My turn." Sakura whispered as she, moved her hand toward Tenten's neck, pressing her fingers deep in her skin.

Sakura felt her stomach flutter with butterflies when she dug her nails into Tenten's flesh. A weird sensation of satisfaction crawled through her skin as her nails snapped on her flesh. Tenten gagged and brought her kunai knife up with her good arm, and started stabbing Sakura's arm repeatedly as she tried to break free.

Groaning in pain, Sakura let go of Tenten, dropping her unto the floor. She cursed under her breath as she healed her arm while Tenten held her hands to her own throat trying to stop the bleeding as she sucked in the maximum quantity of air as possible.

Sakura's green chakra stopped. It was not enough. She wanted to hear Tenten scream. She walked further, giggling in anticipation. She smiled as her foot stepped on Tenten's stomach. She pressed her right foot, making Tenten scream loudly. Tenten's scream floated in the air and finally reached Sakura ears.

"Sakura... s-s-stop!" Tenten exclaimed, her voice filled with panic, filled with pain.

Sakura eyes widened. She slowly took her foot away. Her entire body was shaking with trepidation. What the hell had just happened? She yelped as she fell on her knees, feeling her heart racing at the speed of light. That was not her.

That was not her.

Itachi stepped into the room, the wheels of his Sharingan spun as the smoke penetrated his orbs. Groaning, he walked further as he spotted three silhouettes. He walked past Konan, feeling her stir uncomfortable as he went by. He came to a sudden halt as his gaze fell on the pink-haired girl.

There she was kneeling down, her chest was heaving up and down as she held her hands neatly folded on her legs. Her eyes were wide with terror and her lips were parted as she tried to calm her erratic breathing. But that was not what was so appealing.

It was all the blood.

The way blood carried on dripping on her pale delicate skin. It called out for him.

She was a bloodied mess and for a slight second he wondered what was wrong with him. Why did he think she looked absolutely irresistible just then?

He stepped forward, his eyes slowly moving from Sakura toward the other girl. Tenten lied down on her back, gasping for air. He looked back at Sakura and found his hand moving towards the top of her head. He felt her stiffen at his touch. Smirking, he ruffled her long pink-hair.

And she sobbed.

He stood there, listening to her cries when Kisame suddenly walked inside.

"Let's go home."

* * *

"Fuckers!" Hidan exclaimed loudly as he stared at the blonde-haired dead body, "Didn't bother to tell us anything!"

"Now... calm down." Sasori said as he picked Ino's body, "Take this. I don't want it inside my room."

Hidan glared down at the red-haired puppet master and groaned. He extended his arm and yanked the girl's body by her hair, dragging her along the corridor.

Deidara stared through what used to be a window. An unusual expression of seriousness adorned his features as he stared outside, "That fucking masked son of a bitch escaped."

"It is your fault." Sasori pointed out, not caring about if he was increasing Deidara's distress or not. "You shouldn't have exploded with half of the building." He added as he stared down at the bloodied floor, "Now it's going to take days to rebuild my room."

Deidara shrugged his shoulders, "I hate this, yeah." He said growling afterwards, "Getting tired of all the backstabbing going on."

Sasori rolled his eyes in exasperation, "That's the way wars work." He said as he picked up his now bloodied pillow. He threw it away, toward the hallway.

"Yeah." Deidara started. He had someone else in mind. Someone else that could be a possible backstabber but he didn't need to voice it. Sasori knew him too well and was now probably aware of his suspicious.

"He has taken a liking on the medic-nin." Sasori said as he adjusted his coat, guessing exactly where Deidara's thoughts were heading at.

Deidara looked over his shoulder, blinking at Sasori, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Sasori shrugged, "It means we should keep a close watch on those two."

The blond-haired Akatsuki's eyes widened slightly.

* * *

Kisame carried a sleeping Konan in his arms as they walked through the fields. Sakura walked by his side, her right hand glowed green as she treated some of her cuts. Itachi walked by her other side, staring straight ahead, an unreadable expression plastered all over his face.

None of them had exchanged a single word since they abandoned the village. Each single one of them was too absorbed in their own thoughts. Sakura fought the urge to breakdown and cry again. She must have looked so pathetic back then, crying like a little girl. She always had the knack to let her emotions get the best of her.

She inhaled deeply as her thoughts roamed to her emotions before she broke down. Her heart started to beat strongly against her chest as if it was warning her to drop it. Still she couldn't. The way she had acted, the way her entire body lost control. She didn't recognize herself back then. She was a whole different Sakura.

A bloodthirsty Sakura.

And it had scared her beyond limits.

"We shouldn't have let them live." Itachi said at last, breaking the silence.

Kisame groaned, "I doubt they will engage in a future battle against us in the near future, Itachi."

Itachi shrugged his shoulders, "Why should we be merciful against them? When if it was the other way around, they would have not hesitated in slicing our throats?"

Sakura found herself looking at the dark-haired male, "That's what makes us different." She answered as he looked down at her, his dark orbs consuming her. Sakura fought the urge to look away but managed to keep her gaze steady.

Kisame stared down the horizon. "We kill. But only when it's extremely necessary." he frowned slightly, "Besides… it wasn't them."

Both Sakura and Itachi broke their gaze away from one another to look at the other male.

Sakura's eyes widened as she forgot it! The paper… She now had no way to know what Konan wrote on that piece of paper.

"It wasn't them who did this to her." Kisame said as he held Konan tighter, feeling the weight of the piece of paper he had found next to the blue-haird woman, inside his coat pockets.

"H-how do you know?" Sakura asked softly.

Itachi arched a curious eyebrow, "I think it was obvious from the start."

Kisame gritted his teeth together, "You could have stopped him, Itachi."

Itachi glared, "And blow away my cover? I think not."

Sakura looked between the two men in sheer confusion.

* * *

** A/N: A big thanks to CherryBlossom555 for kindly taking care of this chapter for me! **

**Ahhhh! It's done. Phew. I hate writing fighting scenes. However, I think I didn't do so bad on this one. Sakura discovered a new side to her. And what really happened with Konan and Itachi? Coming up next, so stay tuned. xD**


	11. Changes

**A/N: I know that I haven't updated in months and I am truly sorry! I have been extremely busy and finally enrolled in college and my life has been literally thrown upside down. (Haha!) Anyway, I'm going to finish this story and try to find a beautiful beta reader out there to help me. Ohhh what is that? Do I hear someone volunteering? ;) **

**So for now enjoy the small update! :3**

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* * *

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**_Changes_  
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She bit her lower lip and fought back the tears that wanted badly to have their sweet escape. Crying was not the answer to her problems and right now she could not afford to have her emotions get the best of her. She needed to keep them in check and think about _other_ things. They were dead – **Naruto** was dead. Was this some kind of a sick joke that the Gods were playing on her? Well they certainly didn't have any good sense of humor seeing that she was not the very least pleased with the recent events.

A soft sigh left her dry lips as she wrapped her arms around her knees. The stars tonight did seem brighter than never before. She had always loved to stare at the stars; they made her feel warm as she would always remember what her father told her many years ago when she left for her first team mission. _"A shinobi does not miss home."_ He brushed his warm and callus fingers through her pink hair, _"Look at the stars… they are always there to guide you through your adventures. Think of them as eyes, infinite eyes that stare back at you. Once you'll leave the village, I too will be looking at you to make sure you'll be alright." _

Only she was not a child anymore and was completely aware of the fact that stars are massive, luminous balls of plasma held together by gravity. However, those kind and beautiful words were forever carved within her soul and she now wished that her father had been telling the truth. She would like to think that her friends, family and mentor were looking down at her. The pink-haired medic suddenly froze and held her breath, listening intently to her surroundings.

"What do you think you are doing, Uchiha?" Kisame's voice was low and he sounded exasperated. For a moment, Sakura considered if she should mask her chakra in order to not alert them to her presence. She decided against it as she was sure they would have noticed the change in her chakra and that would definitely give her away. "Why the hell didn't you stop him? She's our comrade!"

There was a long unbearable silence only to be broken by Konan's whimpering. Sakura's attention quickly shifted towards the weakened kunoichi. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She finally gave her presence away as she moved towards the blue-haired woman, "Calm down." She sat down and placed her cold hand on the woman's forehead, frowning as she concluded that the kunoichi had a fever.

"What is it?" Kisame asked as he approached them from behind, his footsteps were heavy and there was a dark mood to his voice.

"She has a fever." Sakura replied automatically as she quickly set to work. She was glad that her chakra was back to its full level after the little encounter they had a couple hours ago. She locked her gaze on the green chakra and thought back to everything that had happened, especially what she heard back there, "What happened?"

Her voice caught the swordsman out of guard. It was not a simple question but a forceful demand of an answer. He looked behind his shoulder to see the dark-haired man watch the entire scene with a blank expression. "Itachi was ordered to capture Konan." He replied, trying to keep his voice cool, "She was being tortured by Kabuto for information and before she could break down-"

"I cut off her tongue." Itachi's calm and deep voice echoed through the forest. He cocked a perfect brow as the pink-haired girl looked over her shoulder piercing his dark eyes with angry green eyes. His lips curved upwards in what could be considered an 'almost' smile. "What?" he asked tauntingly.

"What?" she repeated in disbelief, her chakra faltering as her anger rose tenfold. She quickly stood up and closed her hands into fists, "You bastard! You don't even feel sorry for her!" she exclaimed loudly.

He straightened himself up as her tone of voice rose, "Why should I?" he asked simply, moving a hand inside his blue pants pocket, "I do not feel sorry for the _weak_. I gave her plenty opportunities to get away and when she failed to do so, she broke down. She's pathetic."

That did it. Something inside her roared for his blood. It was as if a hidden side of her was finally coming to the surface. She _rejoiced_ in her own anger and dashed towards the dark-haired male.

For a second, Itachi was surprised to see her give in to her anger but then he felt his core being replenished with _excitement._ He smirked faintly as she came at him with full force, her chakra flared up with perfect control as she attacked him. Her fist came close to crash against his face but he was faster than her and dodged it easily. Then, he quickly closed his hand around her wrist and brought her arm behind her back, twisting it painfully.

Her eyes widened as pain shot through her arm almost dragging a scream out of her. Only, she refused to give him that satisfaction. She bit her lip hard as she moved her head backward but he moved again surely anticipating her every move with his damned sharingan of his. She felt his hand release her wrist and quickly turned around, this time she had a kunai ready.

"You still have a lot to learn." He spat while he graced her with a wicked smirk.

Kisame quickly placed himself between the furious pink-haired girl and the calm but provoking Uchiha. He took a deep breath and then glared over at Itachi, "Keep your self control in check" he spoke in a threatening low voice in which Itachi didn't seem to be bothered at all.

Sakura shook slightly as she finally realized that she had let her emotions get the best of her. She silently cursed herself as Itachi's smirk widened. She had played right into his little twisted game. She pulled herself into a straight body-position and looked away from him, finding the dark rocky ground to be suddenly very interesting. What was happening to her?

She never lost her cool like this. It was the same bloodlust reaction that she felt with Tenten and that scared her beyond limits.

Gathering all her thoughts into the back of her mind, Sakura quickly tried to mask away the trouble feelings from her features as she made her way back to the blue-haired woman. She sat down and moved her trembling fingers towards Konan's face, gently moving some strands of hair from the woman's face. Sakura felt Konan's shiver against her cold touch and she couldn't help but to think that despite her pale-ill looking features, Konan was a very pretty woman. She had very long lashes, a perfect nose and the most beautiful perfect shaped lips.

She quickly set back to work, ignoring the two men that stayed behind.

* * *

Kisame watched Itachi retreat with narrowed eyes. What was he playing at? He asked himself as he pondered on everything that happened so far. He _trusted_ Itachi with his own life. They had been working together for years and he _knew_ that Itachi hated Uzumaki. The blond had ordered the massacre on the Uchiha clan when he had discovered that the Konoha chief police had played a crucial part on eliminating the fourth hokage. Since then Konoha had engaged in a civil war until the third hokage was forced to stand back up and pressured by the other hidden villages, he signed a peace contract.

However, as soon as Uzumaki took the hokage's title he threw away all the peace that had been restored and killed all the powerful clans that refused to swear their loyalty to him. Itachi had been spared as he swore loyalty to Uzumaki in order to keep himself and his little brother alive. That had been the time when he turned a double agent.

Still, he was perfectly aware of the dark-haired man's personality. He like any other man had his own demons to deal with. He despised the weak as he had been raised to believe that if a weakness cannot be strengthened, then it must be cast off. He was disappointed that he would go as far as to cut Konan's tongue off in order to prevent her from telling any information to the enemy. But he needed to see past Itachi's actions and realize that it was either preventing her from speaking or having his _true_ allegiances exposed to the enemy.

He sighed as he turned back around and sat next to the pink-haired girl, placing his gigantic sword by his side, "How is she doing?" he asked, bringing Sakura back from her own thoughts.

Sakura smiled weakly as she kept pushing her chakra inside Konan's debilitated body, "She's a tough one." The sannin apprentice had spotted a serious infection spreading through Konan's wound to her throat which was making it hard for the Akatsuki member to breath. She had stopped it before it could turn fatal and was now struggling with the remains of a strong fever. "She'll make it." she added in a reassuring way.

Kisame nodded quietly and then cursed under his breath. They had been in war for far too long. He wanted a single day, just a damn single day in which he didn't have to worry or even think – what now?

His eyes widened slightly when he felt Sakura's hand on his shoulder, "I know it's hard." She whispered softly, "I've been through a war as well… but the only thing that we have to do is to keep going forward. It's no use to look back and wonder what if I had done things this or that way."

He nodded shortly and smiled displaying his sharpened teeth.

Sakura blinked a couple of times as she took in the scene before her. Kisame an S-class criminal was smiling at her- a genuine smile free of any killing intent. She slowly shook her head. No. This was not an S-class criminal. This was an entirely different person. She smiled back at him but her smile did not last as their surroundings suddenly erupted into a dark thick smoke.

"Shit." Kisame jumped to his feet and moved his hand to his sword only to find it missing. His body froze as he felt someone breath tickle his skin.

Sakura knelt down protectively next to Konan, her right hand tightly secured around a kunai. She narrowed her eyes and tried to see through the thick smoke but she couldn't see anything at all. She held her breath and then focused on foreign chakra signatures only to find none. She shook slightly as she felt a fast current of air brush through her left side. She shifted quickly into a defensive position but whatever went past her was already gone.

Her heartbeat raced and was suddenly making it hard for her to be able to listen to anything at all. "Kisame?" she whispered quietly, blinking as something warm landed on her face. She quickly ran a hand through her features and then gasped loudly as she inspected the red color on her hand. "KISAME!" she yelled in horror as something heavy fell with a loud thud close to her.

She shook violently as she looked back at a panicked Konan. She was now very awake as she sat up looking around. Sakura frowned and handed her the kunai she was holding to and quickly stood up. She took a step forward and then performed a dispelling genjutsu seal. The thick fog did not disappear which indicated that they were not under some illusion. A sudden swoosh noise was heard and she didn't have any preparation to what was coming her way.

A loud shriek of surprised escaped from her as she was suddenly pushed to the side by a concentrated Konan. She blinked when she saw thousands of small pieces of paper flying around into every direction, stopping what seemed to be poisoned senbons from ever reaching their targets.

She quickly stood up and kept looking around to see if she could spot any nearby enemy but she could only conclude that either her enemy was attacking from a distance or her enemy was only one person and fast. She stepped backwards, somewhat satisfied that Konan's strange technique was blocking the enemy from attacking but she knew it wouldn't last forever so she needed to come up with some escape and fast.

Taking another step back, Sakura's world came to a stop when she bumped against something solid. She shook when an arm wrapped around her neck.

This was it.

Her sweet release.

She didn't ask to have a bloody second chance. Why couldn't she have died with Naruto that day? She closed her eyes and waited, finding it strange that when she was this close to die, her heart race would slow down to a painful rhythm.

"Stop moving around, kunoichi." He sounded upset, if upset was enough to describe it. Her heart began to race at an abnormal race at his words as if he had just brought her back to life.

Itachi quickly scanned their surroundings and spotted Konan collapse to the ground due to the exhaustion of her technique. He smirked and then turned Sakura around and looked straight into her green bewildered eyes. "We have to get going." He said simply as he dragged her through the trees, leaving Konan and Kisame behind.

She shivered as he forcefully dragged her to the deepest part of the forest, both of them now getting away from the smoke. "Where's Kisame?" she asked quickly while she scanned the area. She felt her skin prickle when Itachi did not reply her and then she managed to break free, "Oh my god! Konan! We have to get ba—ow!" she suddenly exclaimed in surprise when Itachi pushed her hard against the tree, grabbing both her arms above her head.

"Listen… no listen!" he hissed dangerously as she struggled against him, "Kisame's gone. I'm sure you felt his chakra disappear."

She shook her head weakly and looked away, refusing to stare at him. "You're leaving her… you're abandoning your comrade behind…" she said as she furrowed her brows.

"It was either that or die carrying a dead weight." He snapped as he released her arms. He cupped her chin and forced her to stare back at him. Something inside him stirred happily when she glared at him. He leaned his forehead against hers and took a deep breath as he pressed his body against hers, "You hate me right now…" he whispered, a small smirk was slowly making its way into his features as she shivered against him, "Good." He said as he quickly stepped back, eyeing her appreciatively. He thought Kisame's blood looked quite nice on her pale features.

What the hell was going on? She shook slightly having no idea what was happening. Kisame died and they had just left Konan behind. She felt sick like never before. A nauseous feeling lingered deep in her stomach as she felt disappointed that he had moved away. She took a deep breath and then put herself back together. "What happened back there?" she asked quietly as she glared at the man in front of her.

The feeling that some enemy was attacking them from the distance faded away completely and a new theory began to form in her head as she stared at him. Had he… had he attacked them?

"Did you attack us?" The question came out unprepared and she found herself not sure if she wanted to know the real answer.

Itachi kept his expression emotionless as he considered whether to answer her or not. The silence became unbearable and just as Sakura was about to lose it, Itachi shook his head. "No. I did not attack my own _comrades_." He replied not the least feeling insulted by her insinuation.

For some slight seconds she looked absolutely relieved but then her expression changed when Itachi smirked.

"You knew." She whispered and then took several deep breaths.

"Yes." He said quietly as he studied her closely, "But I decided to change plans at the last minute. I decided that I do not want to give _you_ to him just _yet_."

* * *

**_Constructive criticism_**is always welcome


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